Ten Years On!
Back to the Future of Project Management!

By David L. Pells

With 2008 we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the launch of PM World Today as an online publication.  Originally launched as a quarterly eNewsletter in 1998 by David Curling, the creator of www.pmforum.org, PM World Today was one of the world’s first online publications focused on project management.  It was produced as a quarterly for five years by David Curling before becoming a bi-monthly eNewsletter which continued through 2004.  In 2005, under Hugh Woodward’s editorial direction, content of PM World Today was increased; production and distribution changed to monthly.  With the January 2007 edition, PM World Today migrated to its own website, identity and life as a full-fledged project management eJournal.

We are proud of the current version, our plans for the future, and our heritage.  In the rapidly changing world of modern project management, anything that has lasted for ten years or more, even with significant changes, deserves respect.  In this case, it is a testament to the vision and dedication of David Curling, and the support that he/we have garnished around the world of PM.  Our history is also a testament to David Curling’s understanding of the emerging role of the internet and worldwide web for communications, publishing and distribution of information.  The last ten years have validated that understanding and vision.

But what now?  What should PM World Today be or become?  We have been able to build on David Curling’s original vision.  During 2007, with a growing global network of advisors, authors, correspondents and other contributors, we have greatly expanded the content, diversity, image and perspective of the publication.  PM World Today is truly a global eJournal.  We think that the contents have important educational and practical value. 
But it has also become more than a product!

PM World Today has grown into a global resource, and a service, for those who want to share knowledge.  Project management experts and professionals worldwide can author and publish articles, case studies, papers and stories about project management.  In the process, project management authorities, consultants and leaders can gain some visibility in the PM world.  Finally, authors of serious featured papers, fully supported by appropriate research and professional editorial standards, can qualify for professional development units (PDUs) for project management professional (PMP®) recertification.  This service is offered at no cost to authors, a tremendous opportunity for both professional development and PR.

Now we want to add a more human face.  This month, with the addition of Personal Stories to PM World Today, we return to our human roots to embrace story telling as an educational process.  Of course, stories can also be highly entertaining, but they can also be intense, emotional, empowering and instructional.  We think the future of PM World Today is to continue to expand professionally and globally, but also to embrace our humanity as individuals.  Project management may be both art and science, but it is practiced by human beings – the very basis for its power and potential.  The future of PM World Today, and of the PM Profession, must therefore be about people.

Read complete editorial in English