Frontinus—A Project Manager from the Roman Empire Era

Abstract

We compare selected project management practices undertaken almost 2,000 years ago with current literature on best project management practice. We take a case study approach focusing on a person who could be seen to have taken a project manager, project sponsor, and champion role. We suggest that some project management approaches used in Roman times are routinely used today; however, changes in the culture and technology have transformed possibilities for project management techniques, and so changed approaches are inevitable. The paper provides useful insights about the nature of changes to project management practice that may be expected during this century.

Agent-based modelling and construction – reconstructing antiquity’s largest infrastructure project

“…Returning to the discussion in the introduction about modern project management versus the history of how projects were managed, we must remember that this is not an exercise about how history can inform modern project management or vice versa. While there are many similarities in the ways projects are managed, Walker and Dart (2011) and Morris (2013) provide clear explanations about the folly of applying Project Management principles to historical construction projects. What has been shown through a historical case example, however, is that ABM is an innovative method that allows an understanding of construction projects in the absence of detailed input data.…”

Historical British antecedents of innovative construction project organisation and social structures

“…First, because it is implicit that historical inquiry uses data sources to compile accounts of the past; second, as a result, therefore, historical research dissemination often omits methodological justification and comprises a historical narrative per se (Holt, 2015). Examples of this in a construction context include Ågren and Wing (2014) and Walker and Dart (2011) -although the same applies to most dissertations, books and theses among the history field (Gunn and Faire, 2012). This partly explains why debate can accompany history methodology (Dhunpath, 2000) and why some (for instance, construction management) journals (and academics) may be less receptive to historical studies (Van Fleet, 2008).…”

The Role of Project Managers as Improvement Agents in Project-Based Organizations

“…Several findings also challenge the traditional role of the project manager by suggesting a widened approach to project management. Walker and Dart (2011) argue for the advantages of focusing on long-term customer benefits and business sustainability rather than on the (traditional) triple constraint. Others suggest broadening the competence base of the project manager to also include reflective management in order to increase organizational effectiveness (Lee-Kelley & Blackman, 2012; Winter et al, 2006)—a call in line with the CI behaviors of, for example, organizational awareness and the sharing of lessons learned (behaviors 1, 2, 8, and 10).…”

“…The third theme identified centers around knowledge and learning. Walker and Dart (2011) highlight the need for shared client–contractor co-knowledge generation, thus arguing for active dialogue between project manager (and team members) and client. Generating, accessing, and sharing knowledge is thus seen as part of project management practice, both within and between projects, as well as between projects and the PBO.…”

“…The suggested increased focus on client interaction could be related to an increased focus on customer value. Project managers today tend to be judged primarily based on the triple constraint (Walker & Dart, 2011), consequently placing less emphasis on how the (project) outcome contributes to customer benefits (it is suggested that increased benefits lead to increased perceived value).…”