How Generic are Project Management Knowledge and Practice?

Abstract

Project management knowledge and practice are often considered to be generic and suitable for standardization. However, projectsare also viewed as fundamentally unique pieces of work. This paradox of project uniqueness lies atthe heart of project management. This paper discusses this tension between uniqueness and similarity, before reporting on the results of a series of assessments of practitioners' project management knowledge and use of project management practices. Results are analyzed across countries, industry sectors, and application areas, and interpreted in relation to the ongoing development of standards for project management.