Theory of project management

There's a lot of meat in this paper that Peter Morris delivered as a lecture to the British Institute of Civil Engineers. The annual James Forrest Lecture presents contributions of science to civil engineering.
One of Morris' conclusions is there is, and cannot be, a single theory of project management - rather a collection of theories applying in different areas of project management. One reason for this is that managing a project demands such a wide range of capabilities and must address such broad issues that a single scientific theory can not be applicable. This reinforces the view of a project manager as an expert integrator and not an expert in all the detailed activities required for executing a project.
In discussing different definitions of 'what is a project', an interesting observation is that a project involves a life cycle. Relatively few definitions of a project include a specific reference to a 'cycle' although all methodologies refer heavily to a project life cycle.
This paper is well worth reading for thought provoking assertions and references. We shall be returning to it to pick out further discussion points.
Science, objective knowledge and the theory of project management