In his first book, An Introduction to the History of Project Management: From the Earliest Times to AD 1900, the author took an investigative journey through the history of project management of Western history that represented a timeline of over 5,000 years. The study placed contemporary project management into historical perspective and enabled it to be compared with the earlier practices. The author suggested further research to increase the precision and value of the historical understandings of project management. He recommended four separate research studies of the history of project management in the four broad eras of Western history, namely, ancient civilisations, medieval period, modern era and contemporary period. The history of project management in the ancient civilizations had already been investigated in the author’s second book, A History of Ancient Project Management: From Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire.
This book is the author’s third research study into the history of the project management. It is an attempt to investigate project management in the medieval period in more detail. Project management applies knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to achieve defined requirements. It is the very deliberate orchestration of areas of expertise to complete a specific project. Investigating the history of project management enables us to reach a comprehensive view of both the historical development of relevant areas of expertise and their application to project activities. As with his previous books, this book is intended for project management professionals who would like to explore the significance of the history of project management.
This research considers six periods of medieval Western history in the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic Golden Age, the Crusades, the Carolingian Renaissance, the Romanesque and the Gothic periods. In addition, the research employs eighteen building projects to demonstrate the application of the areas of expertise to project activities. The research has demonstrated that there are circumstances at different historical periods that affect the development of the areas of expertise and their application to project activities. The significance is that it adds insight to the existing body of knowledge concerning medieval project management from the fifth to the fifteen century. It attempts to elaborate the template for investigation into the history of project management that was begun in the author’s previous works. The study also contributes to the development of project management as a discipline. Furthermore, it increases appreciation of the profession of project management and situates it historically.
