008 Projects a History lessson
Summary
TLDRThis script takes a historical journey through project management, from the ancient construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza to the modern complexities of 21st-century projects. It highlights key developments, such as Columbus's voyages, the Industrial Revolution, and the establishment of project management as a profession with tools like Gantt charts and the Critical Path Method. The summary emphasizes the evolution and importance of efficient project management in driving business success.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The Great Pyramid of Giza represents an ancient example of project management, showcasing innovative planning and execution methods despite the lack of modern tools.
- 🛶 Christopher Columbus' voyages exemplify early project management challenges, including securing funding and sponsorship for exploratory expeditions.
- 🚀 The 15th-century overseas expeditions, like Columbus's, were critical in the historical development of project management, as they required resource allocation and risk assessment.
- ⚙️ The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century marked a significant shift towards efficiency in resource use, which spurred the need for better project management practices.
- 📊 Henry Gantt's creation of a scheduling chart during WWI was a milestone in project management, providing a visual tool for planning and tracking project progress.
- 🔗 The Critical Path Method (CPM) in the 1950s was a revolutionary development, enabling project managers to identify the most efficient sequence of project activities.
- 🏛️ The establishment of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the 20th century formalized the profession and developed industry standards.
- 📚 The development of project management standards and approaches in the 20th century has been instrumental in shaping the discipline and providing guidelines for best practices.
- 🌐 The 21st century has seen businesses expand globally, increasing the complexity of projects and the importance of having skilled project managers to navigate these complexities.
- 🛒 The contrast between opening a physical store and an online one illustrates the modern challenges of project management, including considerations for design, security, and customer service.
- 💡 The script emphasizes the evolving role of project managers in the 21st century, who must lead complex projects that can significantly impact a business's success or failure.
Q & A
What was the Great Pyramid of Giza considered as during its construction?
-The Great Pyramid of Giza was considered as one of the seven wonders of the world during its construction, showcasing an innovative planning and management approach even by today's standards.
How did the planning and management of the Great Pyramid of Giza differ from modern standards?
-While the exact methods are unknown, the planning and management of the Great Pyramid of Giza were innovative for its time, employing great amounts of materials and workforce, which is still considered impressive even by today's standards.
Who was the project manager for the initiative to find a path through the West to Asia, and what were the challenges he faced?
-Christopher Columbus was the project manager for the initiative to find a path through the West to Asia. He faced challenges in securing funding, as his business case was rejected multiple times by various kings before finally finding sponsorship with the king and queen of Spain.
What was the budget and timeline for Christopher Columbus's expedition?
-Christopher Columbus's budget consisted of three ships, and he was given a timeline of one year for his expedition, with a request for 10 percent of future revenues from any discoveries.
How did the industrial revolution in the 19th century impact project management?
-The industrial revolution led to the fastest technological growth in recorded history, which in turn increased competition and the need for better use of time and resources in project management.
Who is considered one of the forefathers of project management, and what did he create?
-Henry Gantt is considered one of the forefathers of project management. He created a simple yet ingenious table that illustrated activities on the vertical axis and a time indicator on the horizontal axis, which was probably the first project schedule.
What was the purpose of Henry Gantt's table during World War I?
-Henry Gantt's table was prominently used during World War I to plan and track the progress of navy ship construction.
What is the Critical Path Method (CPM), and how did it help project managers in the late 1950s?
-The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a revolutionary project management tool invented by DuPont and Remington Rand corporations in the late 1950s. It helped project managers calculate the fastest way to complete a project by analyzing how different activities are linked to each other and their expected durations, identifying the best way to sequence activities.
When was project management established as a profession, and what were the two associations founded to support it?
-Project management was established as a profession in the 1960s with the founding of two associations: the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and the Project Management Institute (PMI).
What is the primary goal of IPMA and PMI, and how do they contribute to the field of project management?
-The primary goal of IPMA and PMI is to develop the project management discipline and establish standards, best practices, tools, and guidelines, which contribute to the advancement and professionalization of the field.
What are the key challenges in managing projects in the 21st century, according to the script?
-The key challenges in managing projects in the 21st century include the increased complexity around desired results, such as the difference between opening a physical store and an online one, which involves considering design, connection speed, online payments, security, client data regulations, and customer service.
Outlines
🏛️ Ancient Project Management: The Great Pyramid of Giza
This paragraph discusses the history of project management, starting with the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Ancient Egypt. It highlights the massive scale of the project, the innovative planning and management techniques used, and the mystery surrounding the exact organization and execution of the construction. The paragraph sets the stage for understanding project management's evolution over time.
🛶 The Age of Exploration: Columbus' Voyage
The second paragraph focuses on the 15th-century overseas expeditions, particularly the project management challenges faced by Christopher Columbus. It describes his struggle to secure funding for his initiative to find a westward path to Asia, which was initially rejected by multiple European monarchs before finally being sponsored by the King and Queen of Spain. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of a compelling business case and the perseverance required to bring a project to fruition, culminating in Columbus' historic 1492 voyage that led to the European discovery of the American continent.
⚙️ The Industrial Revolution and Project Efficiency
The third paragraph delves into the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, a period marked by rapid technological growth and the advent of automation and mass production. It discusses how competition led to an increased focus on the efficient use of time and resources in project management. This era set the stage for the development of project management as a discipline aimed at optimizing work processes.
📊 The Emergence of Modern Project Management Techniques
This paragraph outlines the significant developments in project management during the 20th century. It mentions the work of Henry Gantt, who created a pioneering chart for scheduling and tracking project progress, which was extensively used during World War I. The paragraph also introduces the Critical Path Method (CPM), developed in the late 1950s to help project managers determine the quickest project completion by analyzing activity dependencies and durations. The establishment of professional associations like IPMA and PMI is highlighted, emphasizing their role in developing standards and best practices in the field.
🌐 The 21st Century: Complexity and the Role of the Project Manager
The final paragraph brings the discussion to the present day, highlighting the complexity of modern projects due to technological and geographical expansion. It contrasts the simplicity of opening a physical store with the multifaceted considerations required for an online business, such as design, connectivity, security, and customer service. The paragraph underscores the critical role of a project manager in navigating these complexities and ensuring the success or failure of a business venture.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Temporary Initiatives
💡Project Management
💡Great Pyramid of Giza
💡Christopher Columbus
💡Industrial Revolution
💡Gantt Chart
💡Critical Path Method (CPM)
💡International Project Management Association (IPMA)
💡21st Century Projects
💡Project Life Cycle
Highlights
Temporary initiatives with specific goals and resource constraints have been happening for thousands of years.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was a massive construction project with innovative planning and management for its time.
The organization and execution of the Pyramid's construction are still a mystery.
15th-century overseas expeditions aimed to find new lands and resources.
Christopher Columbus faced challenges in securing funding for his expedition to Asia.
Columbus eventually found sponsorship from the King and Queen of Spain, leading to the discovery of the American continent.
The 19th century marked the beginning of the fastest technological growth with the Industrial Revolution.
Automation and mass production changed trade, industry operations, and society.
The 20th century saw the development of project management as a field, focusing on efficient use of time and resources.
Henry Gantt created a table to illustrate project activities and time, likely the first project schedule.
The Gantt chart was used during World War I for planning and tracking navy ship construction.
The Critical Path Method (CPM) was invented in the late 1950s to calculate the fastest project completion.
CPM helps identify the best way to sequence project activities based on their interdependencies and durations.
The International Project Management Association (IPMA) and the Project Management Institute (PMI) were founded to establish standards and best practices.
21st-century projects are characterized by increased complexity and the need for strong project management.
Modern project managers must navigate complex projects that can significantly impact a business's success or failure.
The course will guide through the project life cycle, explaining steps from beginning to end.
Transcripts
although different from how we know and
see it today
temporary initiatives with a specific
goal and resource constraints have been
happening for thousands of years
so let's take a step back in time and
see some old school projects
ancient egypt can you imagine pitching
the great pyramid of giza to a board of
directors
as one of seven wonders of the world
this construction was no doubt a massive
endeavor with a unique result
great amounts of materials and workforce
were employed and it's still unknown
exactly how the work was organized and
executed but
the planning and management was
something innovative even for today's
standards
15th century this period was all about
overseas expeditions
to find new lands and resources one
particular project manager
christopher columbus had tough times
finding the budget for his initiative
to find a path through the west to asia
his budget was
three ships and a timeline of one year
with a request of 10 percent of future
revenues from any discoveries
his business case was rejected multiple
times
by the king of portugal genoa venice and
even the king of england
finally he found his sponsor though the
king and queen of spain
columbus departed in 1492 and made the
first steps toward the discovery of the
american continent by europeans
the rest is well history
19th century here comes the industrial
revolution
the beginning of the fastest
technological growth in recorded history
automation and mass production changed
the face of trade and the way industries
operate
economy and society had seen nothing
like it
competition started growing and with it
the better use of time and resources
employed for given work became much more
critical
20th century this is when project
management as we know it really came
into its own and started developing
we mentioned that after the industrial
revolution the time and resources were
more and more limited
and using them efficiently became
absolutely fundamental
as a result the project management field
started to develop at a much faster pace
henry gantt one of the forefathers of
project management created a simple yet
ingenious table that illustrates
activities that need to be performed on
the vertical axis
and a time indicator on the horizontal
axis
this was probably the first project
schedule
it was prominently used during world war
one to plan and track the progress of
navy ship construction
we will look at this in more detail
later in the course
then we have the revolutionary critical
path method
invented by dupont and remington rand
corporations in the late 1950s
the cpm helped project managers
calculate the fastest way to complete a
project
this is done by analyzing how the
different activities are linked to each
other
together with the expected durations it
helps project managers identify the best
way to sequence the activities in their
project
this will also be discussed in greater
detail in our course
in the 60s project management was
established as a profession
two associations were founded the
international project management
association
ipma and a few years later
the project management institution pmi
their goal was and still is to develop
the project management discipline and to
establish standards
best practices tools and guidelines
all of this led to the development of
innovative project management standards
and approaches
don't worry we will talk about them
later in great
great detail and finally
welcome to the 21st century where
businesses have progressed
technologically and expanded
geographically like never before
what is exceptional about today's
projects is the amount of complexity
around the desired result
you can imagine the difference between
opening a physical store versus an
online one
design connection speed online payments
security client data regulations
customer service and so on the
activities people and risks to consider
are so much more in today's world
and with more demanding projects comes a
need for a strong project manager
one who can lead the way through complex
projects which will inevitably determine
the life or death of a business
awesome thanks for watching so far
we'll now be taking you step by step
through the life cycle of a project
explaining what to do from beginning to
end
see you there
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