Russell Archibald, PhD (Hon), PMP, PMI Fellow, is a globally-recognized author, consultant and lecturer on project management.  With a career spanning more than 50 years, Russ has broad international experience in engineering, operations, program and project management. He has experienced three project management related careers: Management Consultant, Corporate Executive, and Military/Aerospace. In recent years, He has consulted to a wide variety of large and small organizations in many industries and in 12 countries on 4 continents. Russ Archibald is a Fellow and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) of the Project Management Institute (PMI®) (member No. 6, one of the five original trustees), an Honorary Fellow of the Association of Project Management (APM/IPMA) in the UK, and is listed in Who's Who in the World.  Russ is the author of 3 editions of the best-selling book, “Managing High- Technology Programs and Projects” (1976, 1992, and 2003, also published in Japanese, Italian, Italian, Russian and Chinese) and the co-author of “Network Based Management Information Systems (PERT/CPM)” (1967).  Russ has presented many papers over the years at PMI and International Project Management Association (IPMA) conferences in North America, South America, and Europe, and is widely published in periodicals on professional project management. He holds Bachelor of Science (University of Missouri) and Master of Science (University of Texas, Austin) degrees in Mechanical Engineering.  As a pioneer in the field, Russ received an honorary Ph.D. in strategy, program, and project management from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Lille (ESC-Lille) in Lille, France in August 2005.  Currently residing in Mexico, Russ Archibald’s personal website can be found at www.russarchibald.com, and he can be contacted at Russell_archibald@yahoo.com. 

Editor’s Note:Russ Archibald is a founder of PMI and one of the pioneers in the field of professional project management.  He has been an active supporter of PMForum and PM World Today for many years.  A recognized supporter and mentor for many professional leaders around the world of project management, Russ is well known throughout North and South America, Europe, Russia and elsewhere for his global knowledge, research, professionalism and personal warmth.  This is part one of a three-part interview with Dr. Archibald.  Part one deals with the first half of Russ’ career, as he witnessed and participated in the beginnings of professional project management.  Part 2 will focus on Russ’ participation in and knowledge about the formation and early years of the Project Management Institute.  Part 3 will conclude with Russ’ recent research, his observations about the state of the world of project management, and his predictions for the future of this field. 

PM World Today (PMWT):  What was your first project?  When were you first introduced to project management?

Russ Archibald: My first contact with a Project Manager and first assignment as a project team member was in 1949 in western Venezuela at the Esso/Creole Petroleum Amuay Bay Refinery. I had received my B. S. in mechanical engineering the year before, had finished a 12 month engineering training program at various Esso plants in New Jersey (the first such program after World War II ended), and on arrival in Venezuela as a new member of the refinery’s 4 person Equipment Inspection Department I was assigned as the owner’s inspector on a new 60,000 barrel per day vacuum pipe still unit, including a furnace, banks of heat exchangers and pumps, storage tanks, and whose main component was a 60 foot diameter steel vacuum tower. The Project Manager was with Foster Wheeler, who designed and built the unit, and I remember observing him in awe, even though my relationship with him and his crew foremen was at times rather adversarial – they sometimes were upset when this 25 year old whippersnapper found a few loose rivets that had to be replaced, or a blind flange installed in place of an o-ring that had been damaged, with no spare available. Climbing all over that 3 or 4 story tower kept me in shape. When the unit was ready for its vacuum test we pulled it down in record time, surprising the old-timer from Esso who came in from a similar unit in England to “help us out.” That made me feel pretty good.

Read complete interview in English