This chapter discusses the state of projects in terms of the two themes: two 'quests' that underlie the concepts of projects and their methods. The first is the Quest for Accountability. The Quest for Accountability sets an agenda of compliance. The principles and instruments of mainstream project management are designed to deliver accountability. The second is the Quest for Value. The creation of value depends on the creative energy of those involved: energy located in diverse groups of people, and centrifugal–pulling away from the centre. Projects are judged on the collective sense they make to concerned parties, and on their contribution to the creation of value. Management activities address the social context: scanning the social environment, dealing with intergroup relations, and understanding and exercising power. The world of work that project management attempts to structure is highly complex, in terms of personal experience of work, and the technical and social issues the people have to face.