Project management solutions: do they actually work?

Overview

Once it all seemed so simple.

A project manager needs to calculate the resources needed for a particular project, calculate timelines and costs then put the tasks out to tender. Surely, thought programmers, this is a scenario tailor-made for a clever algorithm. Bringing customer, resources and specialist suppliers together in the most efficient way possible.

"We have learned that allocation process should support the building of effective teams for continuity and efficiency"

The trouble is, it didn't work very well. Early solutions put too much reliance on algorithms that lacked the flexibility and structured approach to fit in with the real human world of work. As a result, many products taken up with great enthusiasm by organisations keen to introduce greater efficiencies were quietly dropped shortly afterwards.

This fascinating paper looks back at 50 years of trial and error as vendors have attempted to model the world of project management using software. It argues that now, we may be getting closer to an automated resource allocation model that actually works.