Introduction | A Primer on Program Management | What the Program Manager Does
Main Tasks for the Program Manager | The Program Manager's Tools
Time and Cost Control | Project Management Information Control
Contract Change Management | Conclusion

Conclusion

In author Craig Smith's compelling description of How the Great Pyramid Was Built, it should be clear that this was a major program. It constituted a multi-year project involving a significant portion of the population of an entire country, and extensive use of natural resources and materials that had to be found and brought to the site on time. In ancient Egypt, some 4,500 years ago, these management tasks, or some variation on them, had to have been employed to ensure a successful outcome. Of necessity they must have had some way to manage the program.

The records show that a gentleman by the name of Hemiunu was the mastermind behind the vision and responsible for the overall program. Therefore, in today's parlance, he was the Project Manager.

On Hemiunu's team, scribes were the clerks of the work, keeping the essential payroll records on clay tablets or papyri that have long since been lost. Worker attendance, requisitions of stone blocks from the quarries, and other essential information had to be recorded and communicated in some manner. There is considerable evidence suggesting that the ancient Egyptians used program management techniques such as those described above.

For example, example, large stone blocks have identification numbers written on them, indicating they were cut to size and installed in accordance with a pre-arranged plan. The progress of the work, including future activities, had to be known to make sure the requisite number of laborers was on site at the right time, or conversely when laborers were ready to work, and that the right amount of materials were available for them. In addition, job administration records from later dynasties have been found. These records inc1ude dai1y attendance records, payroll information, and other data.

Maintaining the schedule was important, because the project faced an irrevocable but uncertain end date — the pyramid had to be completed before the death of the pharaoh! Certainly no modern program manager has faced an assignment as challenging as this.

R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI

Contract Change Management

Home | Issacons | PM Glossary | Papers & Books | Max's Musings
Guest Articles | Contact Info | Search My Site | Site Map | Top of Page