On the issues of implementation of project management in the bodies of authority

The transition of Russian economy to the market conditions of economic management was accompanied by an increase in the territorial independence in addressing challenges of socio-economic development. However, with insufficient funds available it is difficult for the authorities to perform their assigned duties. The current circumstances highlight the need to expand the range of methods for managing socio-economic processes. In recent years, the introduction of a project approach into the government work has become increasingly important. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to think through the theory of project management and to study issues related to the development of its scientific and methodological support. The paper analyzes the main normative legal documents on these issues and studies the successful experience of the Belgorod Oblast, where project management has been broadly used since 2010 and has proved effective in practice. The study reflects the development of institutional and legal support, as well as organizational and methodological one, and systemic work on the introduction of project management in the Vologda Oblast. Using survey data among others, the authors define the main reasons hampering the implementation and effective application of this approach. A critical analysis of the theoretical and methodological foundations, the legal framework, publications, and local experience makes it possible to identify problems in the implementation of project management and proposes a set of measures encouraging favorable conditions for the use of this approach in the activities of government bodies. The paper uses general scientific methods of research (logical, system approach, structural and functional analysis, generalization method), statistical methods (grouping method, sampling, comparison and generalization), as well as graphical and tabular methods of data visualization. The knowledge base of the paper are the studies of Russian and foreign scientists, experts and professionals in the field of project management, data from the official data sites of the territorial entities of the Russian Federation.