Parkinson's Law in Project Management

Revision as of 13:27, 14 February 2021

Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.^[1] It was formulated by British historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an essay for The Economist in 1955.^[2]
Parkinson's Law is based on statistical analyses showing that the number of ships and men in the royal navy fell between 1914 and 1928, while the number of employees in administration rose. Parkinson concludes that the growth of bureaucracy is unrelated to the amount of work. The growth depends on two factors: (1) The Law of Multiplication of Subordinates and (2) The Law of Multiplication of Work. Parkinson formulated a mathematical formula to determine the increase in staff in any public administrative department.^[1]
In project management Parkinson's Law can be used to describe the

Complexity -> scheduling, when to do it? -> Parkinson's law

Theory

Describe the tool, concept or theory and explain its purpose. The section should reflect the current state of the art on the topic

Purpose: ?? Factor I and II for growth Mathematical formula

Parkinson's Law is based on Parkinson's own experiences as a British army staff officer during World War II.^[3] He uses the bureaucracy of the British Civil Service as an example of Parkinson's Law.

Application

Provide guidance on how to use the tool, concept or theory and when it is applicable

Project management --> scheduling when complexity

Limitations

Critically reflect on the tool/concept/theory and its application context. What can it do, what can it not do? Under what circumstances should it be used, and when not? How does it compare to the “status quo” of the standards – is it part of it, or does it extent them? Discuss your article in the context of key readings / resources provided in class. Substantiate your claims with literature

Annotated bibliography

Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the and reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.

https://www.economist.com/news/1955/11/19/parkinsons-law

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Parkinson, C. Northcote (November 19, 1955) "Parkinson’s Law", The Economist. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
2. ↑ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica "C. Northcote Parkinson", Britannica. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
3. ↑ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica "C. Northcote Parkinson", Britannica. Retrieved 13 February 2021.