ABSTRACT
The rapid growth of technology in the workplace has created new challenges for those who plan, organize, control, and execute complex projects. With the diversity of markets globally, project integration is of great concern. Using a consistent body of knowledge can alleviate the potential problems faced in the project environment. Projects in the oil and gas industry are particularly complex and dynamic, thus necessitating a consistent approach. The use of project management continues to grow rapidly. The need to develop effective management tools increases with the increasing complexity of new technologies and processes. The life cycle of a new product to be introduced into a competitive market is a good example of a complex process that must be managed with integrative project management approaches. The product will encounter management functions as it goes from one stage to the next. Project management will be needed throughout the design and production stages of the product. Project management will be needed in developing marketing, transportation, and delivery strategies for the product. When the product finally gets to the customer, project management will be needed to integrate its use with those of other products within the customer’s organization. The need for a project management approach is established by the fact that a project will always tend to increase in size even if its scope is narrowing. The following four literary laws are applicable to any project environment:
Parkinson’s law: Work expands to fill the available time or space. Peter’s principle: People rise to the level of their incompetence. Murphy’s law: Whatever can go wrong will. Badiru’s rule: The grass is always greener where you most need it to be
dead.
