Project Management Techniques
Kathy Schwalbe · The Internet Encyclopedia · 2004
Abstract The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that 4.5 million people in the United States (3.3% of the workforce), and more than 12 million people in the rest of the world regard project management as their profession of choice. In addition, PMI estimates that the United States spends more than $2.3 trillion on projects every year, or one quarter of the nation's gross domestic product (PMI, ). To meet this growing demand for projects, organizations must understand and apply appropriate project management tools and techniques. The PMBOK Guide, 2000 Edition, lists several tools and techniques for each of the nine project management knowledge areas (PMI, ). This chapter briefly describes the field of project management and summarizes a few important tools and techniques to help select projects, identify and manage scope requirements, assign resources, determine schedules, and track performance in meeting scope, time, and cost goals.