This research identifies six research topics, based on the areas of project management expertise, to guide data collection and the research process. In the contribution to architecture, the research regards “building construction and engineering structures” as the application area of project management. The research considers twelve periods of architectural history that represent a 5,000-year timeline from the earliest recorded time to AD 1900, just before the two forefathers of twentieth century project management, Henry Gantt and Henri Fayol, formulated their project management tools and the core elements of knowledge for contemporary project management. In addition, the research employs twenty architectural projects to demonstrate the application of the areas of expertise to project activities.
The hypothesis of this research is 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 of this study is that it adds knowledge and insight to the existing body of knowledge concerning project management prior to AD 1900. It attempts to define a template for investigation into the history of project management. The study also contributes to the development of project management as a discipline. Furthermore, it increases understanding and appreciation of the profession of project management and situates it historically.
Y.C. Chiu is an architect and project management consultant. He has over 25 years of architecture and project management experience gained internationally including England, Australia, Japan and Southeast Asian countries in all phases of architectural design projects. He is currently in his consultant career advising the architectural feasibility of the historic preservation and the adaptive re-use of the cultural heritage building projects in the Southeast Asian region. This is Chiu’s first book on the history of project management. His academic knowledge and professional experience in both architecture and project management, together with his love of history, inspired him to pursue this subject of study.
