Volume X - Issue II - February 2008
Editor's Perspective
February 2008 - the Second Edition Welcome to the February 2008 edition of PM World Today. This is the second edition of Volume X, the ten year anniversary of PM World Today as an online publication. PM World Today was one of the first newsletters entirely published and delivered via the Internet. Now one of the world’s leading monthly e-publications for project management, PM World Today continues to evolve and grow. Each month the Editor’s Perspective on the Current Issue provides a short overview of the articles and contributions included in the current edition. This edition of PM World Today again contains articles, news, papers and stories from around the world of project management (PM), including several in Spanish. PM World Today is an educational resource for PM professionals. It is also a resource (and service) for PM experts and leaders who want to share knowledge and gain more visibility in the PM world as authors and contributors. This month’s Editorial is entitled “Climate Change – What it means for the world of Project Management.” Regardless of the causes, climate change is having a much broader and long term impact on our world than many people realize. From research projects in the Antarctic to renewable energy projects worldwide, climate change is spurring investment, cooperation and change across countries, industries and organizations. This is leading to new projects and the need for more PM in new and different ways. I thought it was time to explore this topic and its implications. Five Letters to the Editor are included this month. Russ Archibald in Mexico has responded to last month’s letter with his comments on the subject of “Working past age 65.” Professor Vladimir Voropajev in Moscowsends his congratulations on our 10th Anniversary, and reminds us of the past Global PM Forums. Azra Duric in Canada has provided some feedback on my January editorial and the results of her first article being published in PM World Today. Pat Weaver in Australia has provided an interesting letter, drawing attention to the need to capture the history of PM and scheduling tools, some of which are fast disappearing from the market. Earl Glenwright in Colorado has written in on several topics, including the Seminar @ Sea PM cruise in March, copyright issues and more. Three Viewpoint articles are included again this month. Mike Nichols, Chair of the APM in the UK, has presented some of the reasoning why APM is seeking Charter Status. According to Mike, “Becoming a chartered body will mean the Queen recognizes project management as a profession …” Read his article to learn more, and what the benefits might be. Max Wideman, Fellow and former Chair of PMI, writing from Vancouver, BC, Canada, has also provided a short article entitled “Innovation and the Curse of Knowledge.” In his paper, Max quotes Janet Rae-Dupree from her December 30, 2007 New York Times article: “As our knowledge and expertise increase, our creativity and ability to innovate tend to taper off. Why?” Max appears to believe. Do you? Let us know. Professor Viatcheslav Poznyakov, International Editorial Advisor for PMForum and PM World Today and a consultant for the World Bank in Russia, has contributed an article entitled “Project Management & Senior Managers: A Russian Perspective.” According to Professor Poznyakov, “The demand for PM in Russia is great. The major driver is stable and fast growth of the national economy. … many top managers, who are familiar with PM, are skeptical of it and believe that PM ideology is narrow and …. does not fit with senior manager’s duties and functions during the preparation and implementation of their projects.” Is this a problem everywhere, or only in Russia? Featured Papers are serious professional contributions to the PM literature or papers of significant interest. Some are highly entertaining as well. This month we feature the first paper by Jerry Manas, author of the book “Napoleon on Project Management”. Jerry’s paper is entitled “Napoleon’s Six Winning Principles.” According to Jerry, “In addition to successfully leading over fifty military campaigns, Napoleon also led hundreds of development and rebuilding efforts all throughout Europe, including financial reforms, infrastructure setup, construction of roads, bridges, marinas, museums, and more¾all during a period of constant warfare… he used advanced project portfolio management practices before the term portfolio management even existed¾except he used it to manage an entire empire. Furthermore, he did all this without the use of email, telephones, or computers.” Jerry has distilled six principles from Napoleon’s success. Here is your opportunity to learn PM from history. It’s fascinating! Mark Kozak-Holland in Canada, frequent and popular contributor to PM World Today, is back with part 18 in his series on Winston Churchill, the Agile Project Manager. Mark also uses “Lessons from History” to teach modern PM. His paper this month is entitled “The ‘Fighter’ Supply Chain” and discusses how Beaverbrook, Churchill’s Minister of Aircraft Production, “focused on the problems of fighter production and took an unconventional approach that brought in ideas and best practices from other industries.” This is another fascinating look back! Professor Hubert Vaughan, new editorial advisor for PMForum and PM World Today in China, has provided a significant feature paper entitled “Project Management in China Today.” Based on his 25+ years of professional and executive experiences on projects around the world, and now teaching in several leading Chinese universities in Beijing, Professor Vaughan provides some current and useful perspective on the state of PM practice and the profession in China today. Read complete editorial in English
Good luck with your projects!
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