TABLE OF CONTENTS 
There is nothing permanent except change.
HERACLITUS OF GREECE, 513 B.C.
Rogers Student s History of Philosophy
It has been said that there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. Project management, an evolving field of theory and practice, has emerged slowly as the field of management has come forth. Since the 1950s there has been acceleration in the development of the theory, literature, and practice of project management. Today there is a sufficient body of knowledge about project management so that this discipline has taken an important position in the lexicon of management and in the practices of modern organizations.
In this first chapter of the book an historical perspective of projects will be given, augmented with examples of the early literature. The evolution of project management from organizational liaison devices will be explored. In addition a preliminary philosophy of the discipline will be offered. As a mark of the growing maturity of project management a description will be provided of the Project Management Institute, the commanding professional society in the field. The narrative of the chapter starts with a definition of just what a project is, followed by the way in which projects reflect how past societies have coped, in part, with changes in their environment.
This is a book about project management, a field of study and practice that has evolved over decades and now promises to take its...
