ProjektmanagementWochenübersicht

Projektmanagement, or project management in English, is the discipline of planning, organizing, and overseeing resources to achieve specific goals within defined constraints such as scope, time, cost, and quality. A project is a temporary endeavor with a unique outcome, distinct from ongoing operations. The core aims are to deliver the intended product, service, or result while managing constraints and risks.

The practice rests on a lifecycle commonly described as initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. During initiation, goals and feasibility are defined; planning builds a roadmap including scope, schedule, budget, quality criteria, risk management, and stakeholder plan. Execution mobilizes teams to produce deliverables, while monitoring and controlling tracks progress and handles changes and risks. Closing formalizes acceptance and captures lessons learned.

Historically, modern project management emerged in the mid-20th century with methods such as CPM and PERT, later expanded by standards like PMBOK and PRINCE2. Agile approaches, including Scrum and Kanban, introduced iterative development and greater stakeholder collaboration, often used in software and product development. Hybrid approaches combine traditional planning with agile execution.

Key roles include the project sponsor, project manager, and the project team, along with stakeholders who influence or are affected by the project. Common tools and artifacts include the work breakdown structure, Gantt charts, risk registers, and change logs. Project management is used across industries to improve predictability and value realization. Its success depends on clear objectives, stakeholder alignment, disciplined governance, and continuous learning.

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