The Evolution of Project Management in Iceland: The Path to a Profession - Paper 1 of 3

Abstract

The birth of project management as discipline during the mid 20th century was not the birth of a profession, but rather an important enhancement of planning techniques to tackle temporary and timelimited endeavors. Project management has since evolved and matured to be currently recognized as an important international profession with unique accredited procedures, international standards, best practice references and theoretical platforms. Iceland is an interesting example of how the path to a profession is paved in a developed Western society. Entrepreneurs channeled international development into business-driven projects, and the academia followed the suit. Iceland currently has a thriving forum for project management as a professional discipline. This development is arguably best displayed by some impressive educational programs that were developed by path-finding consultants, within universities and post-graduate study lines, and in the increasing demand for professional project managers in most areas of public and private sectors. However, it is also noteworthy that in one specific domain Iceland is atypical among countries often seen as international benchmarks, e.g. Norway, the UK and Sweden, and that is the fractional public project governance framework, which might also explain why the Icelandic Project Management Association has not yet fully actualized its full potential as a professional leader for project management in Iceland.