The purpose of this article is to investigate the current

The purpose of this article is to investigate the current hot topics of project management. In the 21st century, there is a clear swift from hard systems approach of

project management to soft factors, a demand for strategic thinking in project management (Buttrick, 2000), new success factors (Atkinson, 1999) and project

uncertainty management (Ward & Chapman, 2003). Broader project management theory and more intense research efforts are also a trend in the field (Winter & Smith,

2005).

Human beings have been executing projects from ancient times (Kwak, 2003). From relocating a tribe to constructing enormous buildings such as the pyramids, projects

were a dominant element of history. Not long ago, those involved in projects understood that they needed methods and processes to help them manage these projects more

efficiently. To meet this need, scientists and practitioners worked together to form a new concept which was called «project management». According to the PMBOK's

definition "project Interim Management Provider is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements". (A Guide to Project

Management Body of Knowledge, 2004). There are many different views in the literature concerning the birth of project management. Maylor (2005) mentions that "project

management in the way that we would understand it today did not exist until the 1950s" and Wideman (2001) tracks the first use of project management in the UK's

Institution of Civil Engineers report on UK post war national development first published in 1944.

Since then, there have been a lot of changes. "The hard systems approach, which treated the project as a mechanical activity, has been shown to be flawed" (Maylor,

2005). The soft skills of project management are getting more attention because it is now clear that "the ability to apply these skills effectively throughout the life

cycle of a project will enhance the success of a project exponentially" (Belzer). In spite of the perfect understanding of planning, scheduling and controlling,

projects have still a high rate of failure. Belzer points out that "more often they fail because of a project manager's inability to communicate effectively, work

within the organization's culture, motivate the project team, manage stakeholder expectations, understand the business objectives, solve problems effectively, and make

clear and knowledgeable decisions". To address these problems in the 21st century, a project team needs to develop a series of soft skills such as "communication, team

building, flexibility and creativity, leadership and the ability to manage stress and conflict". (Sukhoo et. al, 2005).