In our editorial last month (December 2000) we spoke at length about the creation of Work Breakdown Structures (WBS). In particular we pointed to the Project Management Institute's effort to establish a practice standard, a most challenging and laudable effort given the controversy surrounding the topic. However, we also expressed great concern over the Institute's inhibitive copyright agreement, a condition to which some of the brightest minds are rightfully unwilling to submit. According to the Institute, no comments, constructive or otherwise, will be given consideration if the contributor does not first sign this unfortunate agreement.
Coincidentally in the same month, the PMFORUM published a call from John Schlichter inviting "Thought Leaders" to participate in a mammoth exercise to develop an "Organizational Project Management Maturity Model" (so-called OPM3). John is seeking "innovative product developers, practitioners of project management and other management sciences, and people experienced in organization development" to participate. This project is also being undertaken by the Project Management Institute with a view to submission as a standard for ANSI and ISO approval.
Try as hard as we could, we could find no mention of the disquieting copyright obstacle in the material provided. So, we contacted John to see if indeed the same copyright requirements prevailed as for the Institute's WBS project. John was good enough to reply as follows: "Yes, this project - like all PMI® sponsored projects - is subject to PMI®'s requirements regarding assignment of copyright. Specifically, anything a volunteer contributes for inclusion in the standard is assigned to PMI® , and the contributor will have non-exclusive rights to use what he or she has contributed, provided that PMI®'s marks are represented when the contributor uses said material."
But much work has already been done on project management maturity models by many organizations around the world - some of it copyright and some of it of obscure origin. Is it fair and reasonable that suddenly all of this should be scooped up by the Project Management Institute and claimed as it's own? We think not. Yet this work, nonetheless, if it gets off the ground at all, is too important to be passed up.
So, what to do? PMFORUM to the rescue!
Last month this web site launched a new initiative, albeit details still being worked out. We plan to conduct a moderated Discussion Board the goal of which is to encourage discussion and debate on topics that contribute to the public knowledge base of the worldview of project management. What better opportunity than to set out with comments on John's "Organizational Project Management Maturity Model Program Plan"! Anyone who is seriously interested in contributing can do so through this medium without fear of subsequent copyright restriction.