In Search of Project Management Principles

The objective of this article is to determine whether a set of project management principles can be identified to serve as a common framework for developers and publishers of project management standards and guides. Twenty-two project management standards and other consensus documents were reviewed, revealing a common understanding across the globe of the requirements for effective project management. Potential statements of principles were extracted and clustered into four categories. The validated principles identified in each category were rewritten in a prespecified, consistent form. The resulting set of 12 principles should serve as a common basis for future standards and guides.