The construction-related project management evolution and its future research directions

Abstract

Purpose

Project management (PM) involves planning, allocating, directing and controlling project resources within a set of predetermined objectives. The modern definition of PM has evolved and grown into a broader concept. This paper supports the notion that PM evolved into four distinct phases: PM 1.0 is primarily concerned with planning, PM 2.0 with collaboration, PM 3.0 with proactive adaptation and PM 4.0 with using innovative technologies. Research efforts tackled critical aspects of PM, but none of them provided a clear foundation for the full context of PM principles and how they complement one another. This study fills this knowledge gap by investigating the evolution of PM over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected a dataset of research papers between 1960 and 2022 and performed a bibliometric analysis on the collected dataset to isolate the main trends that define the evolution of PM phases.

Findings

Results show that all PM phases overlap in terms of overarching themes, concepts, principles and contributions. More importantly, PM 5.0 may be around the corner to facilitate effective and efficient handling of time, cost, scope and risks within the ever-growing complexity of project initiatives.

Originality/value

This paper provides a data-driven study for a holistic understanding of the key trends in PM and the associated expectations of future research directions. This will be of interest to stakeholders within the overall PM domain and multidisciplinary work related to the construction industry.

Citation

Russell, J.S., El-adaway, I., Khalef, R., Salih, F. and Ali, G. (2024), "The construction-related project management evolution and its future research directions", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-05-2023-0426