Distinguishing Functions of Task Administration while in the 21st Century

The aim of the posting is to investigate the present hot topics of project management. During the twenty first century, there exists a check reference  crystal clear swift from hard techniques tactic of undertaking management to smooth things, a requirement for strategic considering in project administration (Buttrick, 2000), new achievements variables (Atkinson, 1999) and job uncertainty management (Ward & Chapman, 2003). Broader venture management theory and more intense research efforts are also a trend from the field (Winter & Smith, 2005).

Human beings have been executing projects from ancient times (Kwak, 2003). From relocating a tribe to constructing enormous buildings such as the pyramids, projects were a dominant element of history. Not long ago, those involved in projects understood that they needed methods and processes to help them manage these projects more efficiently. To meet this need, scientists and practitioners worked together to form a new concept which was called «project management». According to the PMBOK's definition "project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to undertaking activities to meet task requirements". (A Guide to Venture Management Body of Knowledge, 2004). There are many different views while in the literature concerning the birth of job management. Maylor (2005) mentions that "project management within the way that we would understand it today did not exist until the 1950s" and Wideman (2001) tracks the first use of task management during the UK's Institution of Civil Engineers report on UK post war national development first published in 1944.

Since then, there have been a lot of changes. "The difficult systems technique, which treated the task as a mechanical activity, has been shown to be flawed" (Maylor, 2005). The smooth skills of project management are getting more attention because it is now very clear that "the ability to apply these skills effectively throughout the life cycle of a job will enhance the results of a project exponentially" (Belzer). In spite of the perfect understanding of planning, scheduling and controlling, projects have still a high rate of failure. Belzer points out that "more often they fail because of a venture manager's inability to communicate effectively, work within the organization's culture, motivate the undertaking team, manage stakeholder expectations, understand the business objectives, solve problems effectively, and make obvious and knowledgeable decisions". To address these problems while in the twenty first century, a job team needs to develop a series of gentle skills such as "communication, team building, flexibility and creativity, leadership and the ability to manage stress and conflict". (Sukhoo et. al, 2005).

In addition, undertaking administration requires a stronger strategy orientation. "More than 80 per cent of all problems at the project level are caused by failures at a board level in firms to provide very clear policy and priorities" (Maylor, 2001). The technique that Maylor suggests is very different from the traditional link between strategy and projects, as he proposes a "coherent, co-ordinated, focused, strategic competence in job administration which eventually provides source of competitive advantage". This two-way methodology that relates organisational and project strategy is illustrated in figure 1. To better understand the project's strategy, there is certainly also a need to analyse "the experiences from past activities, politics during the pre-project phases, parallel courses of events happening during project execution and ideas about the post-project future" (Mats Engwall, 2002).

Moreover, Maylor highlights a change in project's achievement criteria, from conformance to performance. In 1960s project managers seek to comply only with the documented specifications of the job, while existing projects require real performance. In other words, the success criteria of the 21st century as indicated by Maylor have changed to as short time as possible, as cheaply as possible and towards a maximum customer delight. Other academics imply nowadays a much simpler view of achievements criteria which is focused only in keeping the client happy (Ferguson, 2005) in contrast with the 90s view of just finishing the venture on time and on budget.

Changes in risk management are also one of the hot subjects of project administration while in the new century. Ward (2003) propose the term «uncertainty management» and recommends that a "focus on «uncertainty» rather than risk could enhance job risk management". Adams has an interesting view of risk as he describes it as "a reflexive phenomenon - we respond to perceived probabilities and magnitudes, thereby altering them", a definition that differs from the traditional quantitive analysis of risk. Green broads even more the scope of risk administration and includes the clients. He thinks that "the process of risk administration only becomes meaningful through the active participation of the client's venture stakeholders". In his point of view you will find a new way of assessing risk administration that "depends less upon probabilistic forecasting and more upon the need to maintain a viable political consistency within the client organisation".

The conventional theory of undertaking management consists of a narrow focus on projects as unique and totally separated units of work. But present-day projects tend to be integrated smoothly within the general context of organizations in order to "develop the «management of project portfolios» and «programme management» which are more strategically orientated towards «doing the right projects»" (Winter & Smith, 2005). It is common ground inside the literature that the theory of task administration needs more research. Koskela and Howell (2002) suggest that the theoretical base "has been implicit and it rests on a faulty understanding of the nature of work in projects, and deficient definitions of planning, execution and control". From their point of view, enrichment of task management with new methods and techniques cannot be done with any stable theoretical background. As a result, you will find a trend of putting more effort in research and rethinking the way which «bodies of knowledge» is written so that complex projects' actions will be better documented