• Robert Prieto (USA – pictured at right) – “Evolution of Owners Role under Program Management”, an extensive contribution by this Fluor Senior Vice President and now a regular contributor to PM World Today.

• Mark Kozak-Holland (Canada) – Part 20 of his series on Churchill the Agile Project Manager, entitled “RAF Fighter Command”, another highly educational and entertaining excerpt from one of his “Lessons from History” series of books.

• TD Jainendrukumar (India) – “Six Sigma vs. PMBOK: Complementary and Mutually Supporting Methodologies for Handling Projects”, an interesting and useful contribution on two hot topics in the PM world.

• Quang Ton (USA) – “Martial Arts: The Essence of Project Management”, a fascinating exploration of the parallels of martial arts and project management disciplines, by a French educated, Vietnamese-American project management professional.

• Ammar Mango (Jordan – pictured at right) – “Project Management: beyond the formal definition”, an interesting exploration of the importance of NOT putting too much emphasis on definitions but rather on performance.

• Quentin Fleming & Joel Koppelman (USA) – “Performance Based Payments (PBPs) – If it walks, talks and quacks like EVM… it must be EVM!”, some important perspective on US government reporting requirements from one of the world’s leading EVM experts and the CEO of Primavera, one of the world’s leading PM software companies.

• Paul Giammalvo (Indonesia) – “What does the future hold for Project Management? Update..”, another thought provoking essay by Paul in Jakarta, stimulated by a recent Gartner report.

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The NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) has published its April 2008 edition of "ask the academy", the monthly eNewsletter for program and project managers. The eNewsletter is distributed free worldwide.

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The April edition is full of useful and interesting articles and features, including:

• Message from the Academy Director – results of a recent survey of senior practitioners who attended the Academy’s April 2007 Masters Forum with answers to the question "How do you learn to do your job?

• Dr. Robert A Frosch, former NASA Administrator, answers Five Questions posed by APPEL Academy writers. Dr. Frosch served as the fifth NASA Administrator from 1977-1981, after which he became Vice President of General Motors (GM) in charge of Research Laboratories, a position he held until retiring in 1993. He is currently a Senior Associate at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

• Foundations of Aerospace at NASA – an introduction to the first building block of the Academy’s core curriculum. The course is designed to provide employees who began work at NASA within the last five years with an understanding of the big picture: the strategic direction of the agency, its governance structures, technical guidelines, organizational structure, and NASA’s past, present and future. It includes sessions on communication and team participation skills, a refresher on the fundamentals of aeronautics and astronautics, and an introduction to project management and systems engineering as they are practiced at NASA. Foundations also features high-level speakers from across the agency. The next session of Foundations will take place April 14-25, 2008, at Johnson Space Center.

• PM Challenge 2008 Roundup – results of the recent Project Management Challenge conference in Daytona Beach, Florida, co-sponsored by the Academy and attended by over 1,200 civil servants, contractors and members of the aerospace community who are involved in or interested in project management.

• Academy Assistance at Your Center – a link to the Academy’s resources and courses at NASA locations around the USA.

• NASA on the Hill – a summary of NASA Administrator Dr. Michael Griffin’s testimony in Washington, DC on the President’s FY2009 budget request for NASA – which “represents a substantial step forward in responding to the recommendations of the National Research Council’s first decadal survey of Earth Science.”

• Leadership Bookshelf – a review of Joseph Nye’s "The Power to Lead"

• A View from Outside – a review of the European Space Agency’s recent successful launch of the Jules Verne, the first of a new line of cargo-hauling Automotive Transfer Vehicles (ATVs), into low earth orbit from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.

• This Month in NASA History – A look back at Atlantis Shuttle Mission STS-76, when astronaut Shannon W. Lucid boarded Russian space station Mir on March 24, 1996 for a five month stay. This marked her place in history as the first U.S. woman to fly aboard the space station.

• Links to current ASK Magazine Features: "Leading Your Leaders," by Wayne Hale; "Dawn: Cooperation, Not Control," by Todd May; and "The Astronaut Glove Challenge," by Peter Homer.

ask the academy is a monthly eNewsletter published by NASA’s APPEL. The editor of ask the academy is Matt Kohut; webmaster is Matt Scott. To review the latest issue or to subscribe, visit http://appel.nasa.gov/academy/node/604.

Under NASA’s Office of the Chief Engineer, the Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) provides leadership, advice, direction, and support for the development and learning of the NASA program/project management and engineering community. APPEL trains the technical workforce through a competency-based and experiential development process; promotes continuous learning through a blended learning model, which leverages the expertise of university and private industry partners; offers performance support to project teams through assessment, workshops, expert consulting, rapid deployment training, coaching, and mentoring; and facilitates the dissemination of lessons learned through online resources and communities of practice. The Director of APPEL at NASA is Dr. Edward Hoffman. For more information, visit http://appel.nasa.gov/

Created in 1958 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For over 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov.

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Project scheduling professionals who provide expertise in the specialized area of developing and maintaining project schedules are encouraged to apply now! They also have a great incentive available: the first 100 candidates who schedule and sit for the examination between 30 May and 31 July 2008 will receive 50% off the price of the exam, and be entered into one of the four regional drawings (Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) / Latin America / Asia Pacific / North America) for $1,000.00 (USD) per drawing.

Participation during this incentive period means you may be among the first to hold a credential with high market demand; you’ll also be setting the bar for future credential holders, since your score will be used to determine the passing score* of the examination.

*NOTE: PMI will not provide examination results to any candidate participating during the incentive period until such time that a passing score has been determined. Therefore, please be advised that after testing, candidates will have to wait upwards of three months before knowing their examination status.

Testing begins on 30 May 2008; however, you are encouraged to apply now to reserve your seat to test. Please contact customercare@pmi.org if you have any questions. Applications Now Accepted for the PMI Scheduling Credential (PMI-SP)

With more than 260,000 members in 170 plus countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) is the leading membership association for the project management profession and the largest association dedicated to the advancement of project management in the world. As the leading advocate for the profession, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards, providing a professional career path for project managers and creating a family of professional credentials: Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM^®), Project Management Professional (PMP^®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP)^®. Additionally, the Institute provides members with access to the knowledge, skills, educational support and networking opportunities needed to drive business results through project management, program management and portfolio management. PMI is highly regarded for its extensive research program and published studies. PMI was founded in 1969. Please visit PMI.org for more information.

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The book includes a new forward from the author, a discussion guide for forming reading groups/teams, and in-depth exercises to help readers apply lessons from the book to their work. The book is based on Berkun’s experience fighting difficult battles on Microsoft's biggest projects and teaching project design and management for MSTE, Microsoft's internal best practices group.

Scott Berkun is the author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation. He currently works as an independent consultant in project management and product design, and runs the pmclinic, a friendly discussion forum on project management issues at www.scottberkun.com.

Making Things Happen by Scott Berkun, ISBN: 9780596517717, 408 pages, $39.99 USD, £24.99 GBP. For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517717

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism. Visit www.oreilly.com.

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"Finally, there's a book out there for the designer or developer who finds themselves responsible for executing projects. Best of all, it's under 200 pages, so it's quick to read and digest," says Matt Mickiewicz, Co-Founder of SitePoint.

With The Principles Of Project Management readers will (presumably):

• Learn how to start every project on the right foot.

• Master the planning, execution, and control of projects.

• Discover the secrets of effective communication and change management.

• Identify project warning signals and learn to keep projects on track.

• Understand the benefits of using the right tools, resources, and people.

• Learn how to give a superstar project handover.

• And more.

According to the book’s PR, The Principles Of Project Management is “ideal for anyone who wants to learn enough project management to ensure their projects succeed. This beautiful, full color book is available to purchase right now for US$39.95.” Free sample chapters are also available from the publisher's website.

Meri Williams spends her days managing projects at a large multinational, and her evenings writing and developing web sites. She writes at Geek Manager, as well as on her personal blog, and recently started Make Me A Speaker! For more information about the book, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780980285864.

The Principles of Project Management; Publisher: SitePoint; author: Meri Williams; ISBN: 9780980285864, 224 pages, $39.95 USD; order@oreilly.com; 1-800-998-9938;
1-707-827-7000

SitePoint titles are distributed to bookstores internationally by O'Reilly Media. SitePoint specializes in publishing fun, practical, and easy-to-understand content for web professionals. Its popular online magazine, blogs, newsletters, and print books teach best practices to web developers and designers worldwide. SitePoint also runs the #1 Marketplace on the Web for buying and selling web sites, blogs, and forums.

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism. Visit www.oreilly.com.

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The book both defines and describes the essentials of project and systems engineering management and, moreover, shows the critical relationship and interconnection between project management and systems engineering. The author's presentation is intended to enable both engineers and project managers to understand their roles, collaborate, and quickly grasp and apply basic principles.

Readers familiar with the previous two critically acclaimed editions of this book will find new material in this latest edition, including:

• Multiple views of and approaches to architectures

• The systems engineer and software engineering

• The acquisition of systems

• Problems with systems, software, and requirements

• Group processes and decision making

• System complexity and integration

Throughout the presentation, examples help readers understand how concepts have been put into practice in real-world situations.

With its integration of project management and systems engineering, this book should help engineers and project managers across a broad range of industries successfully develop and manage a project team that, in turn, can build successful systems. For engineering and management students in such disciplines as technology management, systems engineering, and industrial engineering, the book can also provide good preparation for moving from the classroom to industry.

The author, Howard Eisner, DSc, is Distinguished Research Professor and Professor in the Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Department at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA. Prior to joining the university in 1989, Dr. Eisner held various positions in industry, including president of two systems and software engineering companies, Intercon Systems Corporation and Atlantic Research Services Corporation. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c89017

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Max Wideman has announced the latest updates to his popular project management website.  According to the email from Max this month, here are the items that Max discusses or has added to his website this month.

This month Max has two Guest articles: Authors of the Dynamic Baseline Model add the following to their ground-breaking research: DBM & Personality Types: A Supplementary Explanation; and Don Wessels provides valuable advice on Project Portfolio Management: Aligning Projects with Corporate Strategies and Values.

In Papers,the editor of PMHub.net Interviews Max Wideman - The Person with probing personal questions.

In Musings, Max answers a visitor's question: "How do you identify a Client's Sponsor, whether internal or external, when one is not identified, is reluctant to come forward, or is unwilling to take responsibility?

If you are looking for answers, guidelines or templates, check out Max’s Isaacons -"Issues and Considerations" that are presented in bullet form for quick and easy reference by project managers.

Have you seen Max’s book
A Management Framework for Project, Program and Portfolio Integration?
For information or to order a copy, visit http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/framework_book/intro.htm.

Do you have a project management question?
Find the answer at: http://www.maxwideman.com.

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