ABSTRACT
This chapter explains what projects are and how projects are used by organisations, including those in health and community services. It discusses why project management is important, and what project management can deliver. It covers the origins and development of project management as a method, and the reasons for its increasing popularity. A project is a unique set of interrelated activities designed to produce a set of deliverables and achieve a defined goal within clearly defined time, cost and quality constraints. Project management has seen it recognised as a distinct discipline, with two major worldwide professional organisations: the International Project Management Association (IPMA), established in 1967, and the Project Management Institute (PMI), in 1969. Managing projects can be similar to managing high-risk businesses. Projects are often used to trial new ideas, so there is a lot of uncertainty and some unknowns. The use of project management methods is well established in the health and community services industry.
