Project management: A systems perspective

The application of the soft systems approach to the process of project management identifies many areas where the human element is of paramount importance to the successful control and implementation of a project. The comparison of espoused-theory rich pictures with theory-in-practice rich pictures draws out the main issues that affect the performance of primary tasks. The systems that can address these issues cross, in many cases, the traditional boundaries of control. The paper examines conceptual models that define these new systems, and shows how new paradigms are developed that can be used to check the conceptual models for operational consistency and validity. The comparison of the resulting models with the picture of project management in practice can then lead to an assessment of the changes necessary for the elements of time, cost and quality to be effectively controlled.