Matti Ahvenharju honored at PM Days Symposium in Finland

Project Management for Public Administration:
Russ Archibald lectures in Rome at ISIPM

ISIPM, Italian Institute of Project Management, a not-for-profit association based in Rome (Italy), organized on 12-13 November 2008 two conferences, with Dr. Russell D. Archibald as keynote speaker. The focus was on the role of project management as leverage for developing and improving the performances of public administration (PA) and related organizations.

The first event, hosted in “Regione Lazio”, one of the 21 local governments ruling Italy at regional level, was introduced by ASAP, an agency devoted to PAs development, headed by Luigina Di Liegro, a Columbia University graduate. In the following all-day event organized at LUISS, one of most prestigious business schools in Italy, Archibald provided the same recipe for introducing project management in public institutions and relying on state-of-the-art maturity models, such as the “Prado method”. Nearly 950 people attended the Roman events, showing the interest of this discipline in public environment, from armed forces, to educational, health and sport related projects.

In his speech Dr. Archibald addressed the portfolio and strategy concepts which can provide administrations with governance tools for increasing their overall productivity and return to society. In this regard, projects – said Archibald - must be managed as investments and tracked through governance entities and life-cycles, similar to manufacturing industry, with specific objectives and strategies for the public sector. He then provided a 33-steps reference methodology that public stakeholders should follow and align to their organizations. This framework addresses some leading areas, such as vision, consensus and commitment, documentation of key objectives and strategies, planning and execution of specific projects.

"Projects," says Archibald, "translate strategies into actions and objectives into realities".

Finally the speaker presented the results of a research conducted in Brazil and based on the Prado maturity model, showing how the same method can be applied to several business sectors as well as public companies. Marco Gentili, chairman of the conference and officer of CNIPA, the Italian authority for IT development in PA, observed that the method could be suitable for testing in their environment and “time has come,” said Gentili, "to get most value from project management and cost-benefit analysis in public organizations".

In the crowed Luiss auditorium, over 700 attendees had further exposure to some successful case studies.

Gen. Paolo Rizzo, of Italian Air Force (IAF) and member of ISIPM Board, outlined the project to introduce PM culture and certification in IAF officers curriculum, alongside other managerial knowledge and skills. "This can happen from elementary to advanced level," said Rizzo, "the same as training of flying abilities for pilots".

Andrea Sica presented an outstanding application of program management by the Agency for the Winter Olympics Games in Turin (2006), where more than 20 new sport infrastructures were built on time and less than budgeted cost. In this case "the CIO (International Olympic Committee)," said Sica, "used to supervise the works only with the S-shaped earned value curve. Successful was our approach in providing continuous and independent control and validation activities to contractors; in addition our artifacts were appreciated for being friendly even by the environmentalists".

Another case study was reported by Maurizio Dal Maso, manager of Policlinico Umberto I of Rome, one of the largest and oldest health complexes in Italy, that will undergo a complete reconstruction. Silvana Abete, from the ministry of education, outlined the introduction of PRINCE2 for an evaluation method of school performances, and Col. Bruno Bartoloni, from Guardia di Finanza, the military corps of the Italian ministry of finance dealing with customs, excise and tax crimes, discussed a current project aimed to increase tax collection and decrease evasion.

Finally Eugenio Rambaldi, architect and president of ISIPM, exposed the aims and progress made by the association, since its constitution in 2005, for filling a gap and providing project management culture to larger audiences in information technology. “Also with reference to agile methods, in addition to public institutions, universities, and stakeholders, who,” commented Rambaldi, “may never become true project managers, but can nevertheless influence very much important projects and even their existence in our society”.

To this aim and to respond to increasing project management demand at various level, the Institute has recently set up a new “light” certification, which aims to be an entry level yet formal and motivating approach to the discipline, thus introducing further certification paths such as PMI and IPMA’s. In fact ISIPM is also R.E.P. (PMI) and can provide both early and mature exposure to project management.

"We are very proud," said Rambaldi, "that the open ‘Archibald days’ in Rome have facilitated so much coming and have given occasion for all fond and PM certified attendees to meet together".

The Italian Institute of Project Management (ISIPM) is a non-profit association founded in October 2005 in Rome to create a new entity in project management area with specific reference to ICT (Information & Communication Technology), project management within Public Administration and the new Agile approaches in project management. The board of directors of the Institute includes professionals from different fields: consulting, big Italian and international private companies, army, government, etc. ISIPM promotes the growth of project management culture among all stakeholders, in their different roles: customers, suppliers, sponsors, consultants, etc.. by using processes based on best practices and methodologies already recognized worldwide (PMI, IPMA, Prince2) and on those defined "agile", particularly appealing for managing the so-called "extreme projects". More information about ISIPM (now in Italian) can be found at www.isipm.org.

Photos courtesy of ISIPM

Osmo Härkönen elected President of PMA Finland

Osmo Härkönen has been elected President of Projektiyhdistys - the Project Management Association of Finland (PMAF) – for 2009. The election was held on Wednesday, 26 November, in Espoo, Finland.

Osmo Härkönen is Vice President for Project Management in the Power Plants division of Wärtsilä Finland Oy, a Helsinki-based industrial organization.

In addition to Mr. Härkönen, others elected to the board of directors of PMAF for 2009 included Mr. Veikko Välilä, Mr. Pekka Pere, Mr Kalle Kähkönen, Mr. Jouko Vaskimo, Ms. Susanna Sacklén, Mr Heikki Lonka, Ms. Marjut Siintola and Mr. Matti Mantere.

(photo: Osmo Härkönen and Jyry Louhisto at PM Days Symposium on 19 November 2008)

Projektiyhdistys, Project Management Association Finland (PMAF), based in Espoo, Finland (a city North-West from Helsinki), is the national PM society for Finland and the national membership body for Finland in the International Project Management Association (IPMA). PMAF is the largest national PM Association in Northern Europe. The general manager of PMAF is Jyry Louhisto, who is also the project director for the 23rd IPMA World Congress – Refresh Yourself, which will be held in Helsinki in June 2009. For further information, visit www.pry.fi.

Students recognized at PM Days Symposium in Finland

A number of students and student leaders were recognized at the 2008 PM Days Project Management Symposium in Espoo, Finland on Tuesday, 18 November. The 2008 PM Days symposium held in Finland during 18-19 November 2008 was the annual conference of Projektiyhdistys - the Project Management Association of Finland. The student recognition occurred during a plenary session and reception at the end of the first day of the conference.

Ray Lindberg, project manager with RAMBOLL in Tammisaari, Finland, was recognized as recipient of the PMAF 2008 student scholarship, which paid for his travel expenses to and participation in the 22nd IPMA World Congress in Rome earlier this month. Ray led a team of students from Finland who participated in the IPMA’s Young Crew workshop in Rome during 15-16 November.

(photo: Ray Lindberg speaking at PM Days symposium in Espoo; courtesy of PMAF)

Ray Lindberg is also the new IPMA Young Crew Chair for 2009. Other PMAF Young Crew student members recognized on 18 November included

The students were representing Tampereen Ammattikorkeakoulu University, which was represented by Professor Kai Hintsanen at the PM Days ceremony.

The local host of the 2008 PM Days in Helsinki was Project Management Association Finland (PMAF), based in Espoo, Finland. PMAF is the national membership body for Finland in the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and is the oldest and largest national PM Association in Northern Europe. The general manager of PMAF is Jyry Louhisto, who is also the project director for the 23^rd IPMA World Congress in Finland. For further information, visit www.pry.fi.

For additional information about IPMA’s Young Crew program, visit http://www.ipma.ch/crew/Pages/default.aspx.

Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka awarded Japanese Government's
Industry Contribution Honor

Dr. Hiroshi (Hiro) Tanaka, Global Advisor to PMForum and one of the most respected project management authorities in the world, was honored with the Japanese Government's sustained outstanding industry contribution award on October 2nd 2008. The award was presented on the occasion of the 30th anniversary cerebration of the Engineering Advancement Association of Japan (ENAA), one of the three major capital investment industry research and competitiveness initiative of the world together with CII (Construction Industry Institute) of USA and ECI (European Construction Institute) in Europe.

The honor was delivered to Dr. Tanaka by Director General Tsuneyoshi Tatsuoka on behalf of Minister Toshihiro Nikai of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) which is one of the major ministries of the Japanese Government.

The Japanese Government, as in many other countries, recognizes and honors those who have continuously contributed to the advancement and promotion of specific industry branches of the country, taking occasions of industry associations’ minimum 30 years of existence and recognized contribution to the country and globally.

ENAA was established in 1978 and formed by 200 first-line project industry corporations of Japan, including engineering and construction (E&C) companies, general construction companies, contracting engineering divisions of heavy industry companies, heavy electricals, global trading companies and major banks who provide project financing.

The award occurs basically once per industry branch and Dr. Tanaka is one of the two who have received the honor. According to ENAA, the reasons for his honor are his distinguished contribution to the E&C industry, his professional promotion of project management in Japan, and his PM diplomatic role in publicizing the leading position of the Japanese E&C industry in the global market place.

Hiro, who was interviewed by PMForum managing editor David Pells on 19 October in Denver, Colorado (photo at left), humbly mentioned that the award is a sort of benchmark for Japanese E&C industry components altogether, which need someone who represents the industry and has continuously dedicated himself/herself to the higher positioning of the industry. Hiro feels he was awarded “on behalf of everybody of my industry who are so ingenious, dedicated and results oriented.”

Hiro, as President of Project Management Association of Japan (PMAJ), hosted PMAJ’s 560- delegate International Project & Program Management Symposium 2008 in Tokyo in March of this year. That event was rated as a very successful global congress by PMForum’s Managing Editor David Pells, who attended the symposium as PMF representative and as Master of Ceremony for the symposium, at Hiro’s invitation.

While he is stepping up PMAJ’s P2M program promotion within Japan, Hiro also completed in July 2008, two one-day seminars on innovation project management in Odessa and Kiev of Ukraine, together with Professor Sergey Bushyev, President of Ukrainian Project Management Association. Also in July, Hiro presented a three-day P2M seminar at ESC Lille – Lille School of Management, where Dr. Tanaka is a professor of strategy, programme and project management. He also presented a practitioner lecture in the Behavioral School at ESC Lille’s first EDEN Doctoral Seminar, with EU research funding in August, and delivered a keynote presentation on P2M at PM Asia Conference recently in Singapore.

Additional information about Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/advisors.htm.

The George Washington University hosts Expert PM Forum
in Washington, DC on 19 December, 2008

In what was billed as the first in a series of Expert Project Management Forums, a group of senior project management experts and leaders met at The George Washington University (GWU) on Friday, 19 December 2008 in Washington, DC, USA. The purpose of the meeting was to identify current "hot topics" among the attendees. As might have been expected, PM in the USA government and especially related to the announced Infrastructure stimulus planned by President-elect Obama's administration was the main point of discussion.

Participants included the following:

• Prof. Frank Anbari, The George Washington University

• Barbara Archibald, Consultant, Archibald Associates

• Russell Archibald, Principal, Archibald Associates & PMForum

• Antonello Bove, Inter-American Investment Corporation

• Valerie Carter, Manager, Government Relations, Project Management Institute (PMI^®)

• John Courmier, Independent Consultant & PMI^® Washington DC Chapter

• Daniel Daly, The George Washington University

• Prof. Young Hoon Kwak, The George Washington University

• Michael O’Brochta, Independent Consultant, Zozer Inc.

• David Pells, Managing Editor, PMForum

• Bob Rovinsky, Director, IT Enterprise Services, Office of the CIO, US Federal Aviation Administration

• Miles Shepherd, MSP Consulting & PMForum

• Lawrence Suda, Managing Director, Palatine Group

• Ron Taylor, Independent Consultant & President, PMI® Washington DC Chapter

• Prof. Stuart Umbleby, The George Washington University

• Robert Youker, Independent Consultant, World Bank (retired)

According to Russ Archibald, PMI^® Fellow (PMI^® member #6) and one of the world’s best known authorities on modern PM, “We took the occasion of being in Washington, DC to invite some PM thought leaders to get together to see what might happen. =I am happy to report that we debated PM in the government, with an eye on the Obama administration’s commitment to invest around $1 trillion in US infrastructure projects next year. If there is some way that we can gain their ear to ensure that the good PM is used for that stimulus package, it would be great!”

The two hour roundtable meeting at GWU began with each participant suggesting a topic that he or she considers important and worth discussion. The topics identified included the following:

• Knowledge management vs. project management

• Integration of project management with systems engineering

• Project management in government

• Mega project management vs. PM for smaller efforts

• A Center of Excellence in PM for the US Government

• Project Management in different industries

• How to get executives to act for project success

• How to overcome hurdles to earned value implementation in government

• Knowledge production on projects and in organizations

• Project management + product creation in industry

• The need for a global & systematic project categorization model

• Human emotions in project management

• How to improve PM in government, non-governmental and non-profit sectors, especially for programs and projects addressing global problems

• Project management profession and professionalism

• Strategic vs. operational project management

• Introducing project management to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)

These topics were then grouped into three general categories for discussion, as follows: (1) Project Management in Government; (2) Categorization; PM in different industries; PM on different types and sizes of projects; and (3) PM knowledge creation and management. The rest of the meeting was devoted to discussing the first topic, better PM in government and especially related to the US federal government’s plan to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into “shovel ready” projects around the USA next year.

According to Michael O’Brochta, retired former PM leader at the CIA, “The key is to reach the executive level. Unless there is buy-in and active support at the top, it’s impossible to affect serious changes and it will just be business as usual. Better project management could save the taxpayers millions, in my opinion.”

Miles Shepherd, former chair of both the Association of Project Management (APM) in the UK and the International Project Management Association (IPMA), pointed out, “Former PM Tony Blair actually told British ministers and governmental executives that they need to become specialists in project management in order to be successful. The OGC now dictates programme and project management standards across the UK government and everyone takes it seriously, although there are still some spectacular failures.”

Bob Rovinsky, who is overseeing approximately $3 billion in IT programs and who has been leading a major EVM/PM improvement program at the FAA, stated, “It took a culture change at the FAA, but our program to implement a broad-based earned value management system has been very successful. We have already saved a lot of time and money, but also stabilized the management process. This same type of effort is needed across the entire federal government, and at state and local levels. Better PM is also needed in nonprofits, nongovernmental and multi-lateral agencies.”

The group discussed various options and scenarios, including ways to publicize the need for better PM in the US government. It was agreed that PMForum should publicize the meeting and this issue. A “Project Management Manifesto” for better Project Management in the US government was also proposed by Russ Archibald and may be advanced.

According to GW Prof. Frank Anbari, who hosted the event, “This was an interesting discussion, with a very interesting group. We identified several issues that might make good topics for research studies. I want to thank David Pells and Russ Archibald for proposing this meeting, which we were happy to have happen at GW.”

Reported by PMForum’s managing editor David Pells, who attended the meeting in Washington. Photos courtesy of GW Prof. Young Kwak.

First Global PM Leadership Award from JVQT Alliance
given to Adesh Jain

At the Inaugural function of the 16^th, Global Symposium on ' Project Management - at the Centre Stage of Economic Transformation' held in New Delhi, India from Dec 16 to 18, 2008, Mr. Adesh Jain, visionary PM leader was honored with the first ever Global Project Management Leadership Award.

This new award has been instituted by Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka, President, Project Management Association of Japan (PMAJ) and founder of JVQT Alliance. The Award was presented to Mr. Jain on 16 December by Mr. Veikko Valila, President of the International Project Management Association (IPMA), the Switzerland based federation of national PM societies.

Reading the citation for Adesh Jain, Dr. Tanaka said: ‘In view of immense contributions of Adesh Jain, a visionary leader shaping the project management profession globally, co-founder of the extended JVQT Alliance, and the first non-European President and Chairman of the Council of Delegates of IPMA, it is the honor of global project management professionals to honor him with the first Global Project Management Leadership Award."

The Global PM Symposium 2008 in New Delhi was attended by over 400 professionals from all over the world representing 11 countries. Mr Anil Razdan, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India, gave the Inaugural Address.

Under the leadership of Adesh Jain, the project management movement in India is now picking up and is expected to play an important role in molding the PM profession globally.

Jouko Vaskimo Named International Correspondent
for PMForum and PM World Today in Finland

Jouko Vaskimo has become an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today in Finland. Jouko is also Projects Director at Ixonos PLC, a major Finnish IT consultancy. He is a well-known project management leader in Finland, active in both the Project Management Association Finland (PMAF) and the Finland Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI Finland) and holds both IPMA and PMI certifications.

Jouko Vaskimo graduated from Helsinki University of Technology in 1992. During his studies he worked part time at Sinebrychoff, the oldest brewery in Scandinavia. Subsequent to graduation he was hired by Sinebrychoff project services to help relocate the old brewery from Helsinki, Finland to St. Petersburg, Russia. In early 1996 Jouko was hired by Kemira Engineering Ltd; the in-house engineering office for chemicals producer Kemira. For six years he participated in various international projects as a sub-project manager in charge of equipment.

DNA Finland Ltd, a major Finnish mobile phone operator with over 1 000 000 customers hired Jouko as a Program Leader in August 2001. He created a corporate project management methodology, provided in-house project management training, and managed a range of complicated projects. Nokia hired Jouko as a Process Development Manager in late 2004 for developing NOCOP, the Nokia Business Infrastructure project management methodology, in use on over 1000 ICT projects globally. In late 2006 Jouko accepted an offer from Ixonos PLC as Projects Director, responsible for project management methodology and competence development within the Ixonos group and at Ixonos clients.

Jouko received the IPMA Level C Project Manager certificate in June 2001, and was invited to join the Project Management Association Finland team of IPMA assessors. He received the IPMA Level B Senior Project Manager certificate in 2004, and was invited to chair the PMAF certification body FINCERT (operating the IPMA certification in Finland), and to join the PMAF board of directors. At that time he was nominated the Finnish representative to IPMA global governing bodies IPMA Council of Delegates and IPMA Certification System Panel. Jouko is a founding member of PMI Finland Chapter and received the PMP certificate in 2003. Since October 2007, Jouko has been participating as the head of the Finnish delegation, in the creation of the new ISO standard 21 500: Project Management: Guide to project management.

According to Wikipedia, Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 573,789[1], making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. Helsinki, along with the neighbouring cities of Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen, constitutes what is known as the capital region, with over 1,000,000 inhabitants.

The Greater Helsinki area has a population of over 1,300,000 and accounts for a quarter of the population of Finland, 29% of jobs, and a third of the GDP. Helsinki is Finland's capital for business, education, research, culture, and government. Greater Helsinki has eight universities and six technology parks. Some 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The immigration of rural residents has made it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe.

Helsinki's GDP per capita is one of the highest of any city in the world. Since the 1950s, the economy has become largely service-based, although industries such as shipbuilding continue to employ a substantial number. Large service-based employers include the public sector and the information technology sector. The metropolitan area is the location of choice for the headquarters of large Finnish companies as well as the regional headquarters of international companies. The Helsinki metropolitan area has the best availability of highly skilled employees in Finland, and good infrastructure and business support systems. The metropolitan area's gross value-added per capita is 200% of the mean of 27 European metropolitan areas. It equals Stockholm or Paris. The gross value-added annual growth has been around 4%. 83 of the 100 largest Finnish companies are headquartered in Greater Helsinki.

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. The capital city is Helsinki.

Around 5.3 million people reside in Finland, with the majority in the southern part of the country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. The native language for most of the population is Finnish, one of the four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin. The second official language, Swedish, is the mother tongue of 5.5 percent of the population. Finland is a democratic, parliamentary republic with a mostly Helsinki-based central government and local governments in 415 municipalities. A million residents live in Greater Helsinki and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other major cities are Tampere, Turku, and Oulu.

Finland was historically a part of Sweden and from 1809 an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Finland's declaration of independence in 1917 from Russia was followed by a civil war, wars against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and a period of official neutrality during the Cold War. Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union in 1995, and participates in the Eurozone. Finland has been ranked the second most stable country in the world, in a survey based on social, economic, political, and military indicators. (More information about Helsinki and Finland can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org).

Jouko Vaskimo resides in the Greater Helsinki area and can be contacted at jouko.vaskimo@ixonos.com. We at PMForum want to welcome Jouko to the PMForum Global Correspondents Network.

PMForum’s global network of International Correspondents provides news and information from around the world of project management. PMForum now has advisors and correspondents in over 40 countries. More information about this program can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.

Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and is one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum is a company formed to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net.

Ted Koval named International Correspondent
for PMForum in Nebrask

PMForum has announced that Mr. Ted Koval has been named an International Correspondents for PMForum and PM World Today in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Mr. Koval is also a Senior Business Project Manager for Mutual of Omaha, a Fortune 500 insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ted Koval, PMP has over 13 years experience as a Project Manager both inside and outside of State government, and in the IS/IT industry. Ted spent the earliest part of his career managing State Representatives across 17 State legislative Districts. He managed their District Office set up and integration into the workings of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He served as Project Manager for all District outreach as well as Campaign Manager.

Ted moved on to serve as the Director of the House Policy Committee where he managed legislative issues and the preparation and passage of legislation, and he conducted training and speaking engagements for all levels of public officials on skills required to execute the duties of the legislative process. His training also included teaching public speaking.

Ted was then chosen to oversee the implementation of the State enabling legislation for the historic Federal "Motor Voter" law. From here, Ted was appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania as the Project Manager for the first nationally recognized centralized voter registration system, including its legislative directives for implementation, which became a model for the Federal “Help America Vote Act." HAVA was passed after the infamous 2000 Presidential Election in response to heightened public awareness to make the voting and voter registration process more secure and technologically robust. During his tenure here, Ted earned the Election Center’s prestigious "Certification in Election and Registration Administration" certificate and served as a speaker on election and voter registration laws, software systems and issues across the country.

Ted was then hired by the nation’s largest voting systems provider to serve as Project Manager and Sales Engineer, where he assisted in the sales, design, development and implementation of enterprise class voter registration and election systems across the United States. Eventually Ted was promoted to Director of Project Management for the voting systems company where he oversaw the development and implementation of a formal Project Management Office and Project Team. Ted moved on to Director of Operations and oversaw the first LIVE successful test of the company’s election software in several States across the US in the federal election of 2006.

Ted has a BS degree in Political Science/Journalism, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, USA. He has also completed international and political studies in London and Washington, DC. Ted is a member of the PMI Heartland Chapter, where he was named "PMI Heartland Project Manager of the Year" in 2008. He is also a certified project management professional (PMP^®). Ted is now a frequent speaker on project management, campaigns and elections.

According to Wikipedia, Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, USA, with a population of 427,872 (2006). Located on the eastern edge of Nebraska, on the Missouri River, Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Council Bluffs, Iowa lies directly across the Missouri River from Omaha. Omaha and its suburbs form the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with an estimated population of 822,549 (2006) with about 1.2 million within a 50 mile (80 km) radius.

Omaha earned its nickname, the "Gateway City of the West", because of its central location as a transportation hub for the USA in the late 1800s. The development of railroads made Omaha a critical hub for trade and industry. It was an industrial powerhouse into the mid-20th century, with the second largest stockyards and meatpacking industry in the world, and the fifth largest grain and milling center. In 2001 Newsweek identified the city as one of the Top 10 high-tech havens, showing how much the local economy had changed.

According to USA Today, Omaha ranks eighth among the nation's 50 largest cities in both per-capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. Major employers in the area include Alegent Health, Omaha Public Schools, First Data Corporation, Methodist Health System, Mutual of Omaha, ConAgra Foods, Nebraska Health System, Odyssey Staffing, Inc., Offutt Air Force Base, Staff Mid-America and the West Corporation.

With diversification in the US banking, insurance, telecommunications, architecture/construction, and transportation industries, Omaha's economy has grown dramatically since the early 1990s. Omaha's most prominent businessman is Warren Buffett, regularly ranked one of the richest people in the world.

Omaha has five companies listed on the Fortune 500 list, including Berkshire Hathaway, ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha, and Kiewit Corporation. Omaha is also headquarters for several other major corporations, including The Gallup Organization, TD Ameritrade, infoUSA Werner Enterprises and First National Bank. Many large technology firms have major operations or operational headquarters in Omaha, including First Data, PayPal and LinkedIn. The city is also home to three of the largest architecture firms in the United States, including HDR, Inc., DLR Group, Inc., and Leo A. Daly Co.

Nebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the United States of America, and is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867. As of 2007, Nebraska has an estimated population of 1,774,571. Nebraska's gross state product in 2004 was $68 billion, with per capita personal income at $31,339, 25th in the nation.

Nebraska is an important producer of beef, pork, corn (maize), and soybeans. Other important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck), manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance. Nebraska has a rich railroad history. The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862. The route of the original transcontinental railroad runs through the state. Other major railroads with operations in the state are: Amtrak; BNSF Railway; Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad; and Iowa Interstate Railroad.

The United States of America (USA) is is a country in North America that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and a sea border with Russia and The Bahamas. The United States is a federal republic, with its capital in Washington, D.C. The USA has been an independent and self governed democracy since 1776. American military, economic, cultural, and political influence increased throughout the 20th century.

According to Wikipedia, the USA has over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.5 million km2) and is the fourth largest country in the world by total area. It is the world's third most populous country with just over 300 million citizens.

With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $12 trillion, the USA has the largest economiy in the world. The USA’s median household income of $43,318 is 8th highest. The largest sector in the United States economy is services, which employs roughly three quarters of the work force. The United States has vast economic, political, and military influence on a global scale, which makes its foreign policy a subject of great interest and discussion around the world. Most countries have embassies in Washington, D.C., and many have consulates around the country. (More information about Omaha, the State of Nebraska and the USA can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska.)

Ted Koval lives in Omaha, Nebraska and can be contacted at tkoval@cox.net. We at PMForum want to welcome Ted to the PMF Global Correspondents Network.

PMForum’s global network of International Correspondents in more than 30 countries provides news and information from around the world of project management. More information about this program can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.

Established prior to 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management. PMForum is an organization formed to operate and grow the pmforum.org website. With advisors and correspondents worldwide, PMForum is now one of the world's most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and stories by leading PM authorities around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net.