(Revised May 22, 2004 to include verbatim comments from the survey)
RUSSELL D. ARCHIBALD, PMP, Fellow PMI and APM [Archibald Associates, USA]
and
VLADIMIR I. VOROPAEV, Prof., Dr. Sc. [GASIS, Russia]
18th IPMA Project Management World Congress, Budapest, June 18-21 2004
Report of Global Survey Results: This paper reports the results of the global survey conducted via the Internet during 2003, as described in the paper by the authors
Underlying Rationale for the Survey: The discipline of project management (PM) holds the promise of enabling peaceful global cooperation and collaboration across all political, cultural and economic boundaries. However in order to realize that goal we must achieve a common understanding and reasonably uniform application of the underlying rinciples and practices of project management on a global basis. It seems logical to enhance this effort by building an agreed list of project categories, since projects themselves are the common denominators throughout the many aspects of the discipline of project management.
Why did we engage in this survey? The purposes were to:
Conclusion: different types of projects require different PM processes, methods and tools.
A more complete report expands on the paper presented in the Budapest Congress and includes the verbatim comments of the survey respondents. It is now posted, together with our 2003 paper announcing the survey, at www.sovnet.ru, and www.russarchibald.com .
by David Curling
It would be nice if there was a generally accepted taxonomy for project management knowledge on the Internet. Unfortunately this is not the case. For example, if we had a basic set of metadata fields and a Document Template Description (DTD) that would apply only to the field of project management. Further,it would be useful if the emergent Extensible Markup Language (XML) was to be adopted to provide us with a tool both for preparation and retrieval of Internet PM knowledge.
To this end I presented "PM Knowledge and the Web - Connecting the World of Project Management " to the ESC University, Lille France in August 2003. In this presentation I outlined the limitations of the present web and search engines. I said that "there is no single xml schema or technological information document tagging that will provide a sufficient solution to the recovery of web information. Data mining is overrated and while there are some simple steps that we can take to improve PM Knowledge web retrieval there is no one solution. Rather, it will take a number of approaches which together will effect future improvement in information retrieve of knowledge ferreted away in remote web application servers".
An article on the University of Texas web states that "The essence of information organization is not a computer science issue. It's a cognitive issue. Understanding how people think and reason, and organizing information in a user-centric way so that it provides real value to a human--these are the pillars of the classic library and information science approach."
The PM tools list given in the University of Quebec at Montreal research project "The Project Manager's Toolbox", have become an integral part of the PMFORUM's current research into the adoption of improved individual web page identifiers for more effective recovery of PM knowledge on the web.
The PMFORUM has adopted a semantic web approach of using XML and descriptive web document meta tagging (information description of information) for PM Knowledge documents and the PM World Today web pages. Background reading in the theory and future of Web Semantics is the May 17 2001 Scientific American article by Berners-Lee.where he states "A new form of Web content that is meaningful to computers will unleash a revolution of possibilities".
There are a number of issues with respect to improving the human-computer exchange. Currently the lack of web page meta tagging results in a unmanageable volume of information listings. Anything that can improve both the future of a more intelligent exchange between human information queries, the improvement in search engines and the development of PM personal information agents is a move in the right direction.
The PMFORUM is keen to move towards a position where a better machine - human exchange is possible. Accordingly, while a small step in this direction, each web page of significant PM documents will be formatted as an XHTML file, a move from standard HTML to an interim XML page of XHTML and the use of meta tagging recommended by the Resource Description Framework and the Dublic Core. In essence to add some XML hints to current HTML pages that knowledgeable search engines can take advantage of more efficient information retrieval.
The use of transitional XHTML has advantages of well formed web pages, cross browser compatibility and it will be easier to determine the true meaning of the web page. The Dublin Core elements, the UQAM PM tools and the Max Wideman Compendium of Project Management Terms ontologies will be used for particular PMFORUM project management web pages. For example, project management document web pages will use the Project Managers Tool Box of the UQUAM to identify the Project Manager Tool element for particular Feature Papers PMFORUM document web page of the PM World Today.
The Dublin Core elements will be used for particular PMFORUM project management web pages. "Project Web Semantics" is a first cut initiative to improve PM Knowledge on the web. The Plan for this Project is posted to the PMFORUM at
http://www.pmforum.org/library/webpres/ProjectWebSemantics.html
A web page is composed of four parts. These are structure, meta tags, content and presentation. The objective of the PMFORUM's Project Management Semantics Web Initiative is to move new PM World Today web pages and significant PM Knowledge documents from HTML to XHTML + Cascading Style Sheet. This will allow for smaller html and XML compatible pages where content and presentation are separate. That is, a separate style sheet for page presentation. Also, the document pages, that is, the papers, briefs and articles will have the more efficient meta tagging of Resource Description Framework(RDF) and Dublin Core(DC) to provide the sort of document information and query retrieval that you are used to seeing in a Library stack card.
An example of this approach is the presentation of the Russell Archibald "State of the Art of Project Management : 2003" documents posted to the [ PM Library ]. That is, the State of the Art of project Management Part 1 [state3pt1.html] document has been formatted as XHTML + Cascading Style Sheets and each web page of the document programmed with the Dublic Core Meta Elements [ DCME ].
The state3pt1.html document meta tags are:
<meta name="DC.title" content="State of the
Art of Project Management: 2003 -Part 1 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS"
/>
< meta name="DC.creator" content="Russell D. Archibald"
/>
< meta name="DC.subject" content="project management, project
schedule, project cost,project risk analysis,project human relations management
,team, project communications,project quality,contract, project procurement,integration,systems
engineering,logistics,earned value,life cycle,program,PRINCE2,configuration
management,Work Breakdown Structure, WBS, OBS, Responsibility Matrix, critical
path management, project requirements,project life cycle plan, project management
office" />
< meta name="DC.description" content="The practice of project
management has evolved over half a century and permeates all industries,institutions
and governments throughout the world. This paper conveys a picture of the
state of the art in this management discipline near the end of 2003 and provides
some predictions of the direction of its continued evolution over the next
five years. Part 1 covers how does PM differ from managing functional organizations,
projects, programs, and project portfolio, their classification and management
needs and organizational capabilities and maturity in PM" />
< meta name="DC.publisher" content="PM World Today January-February
2004 ISSN 1492-5354 " />
< meta name="DC.contributor" content="Max Wideman, David
Curing,Allan Harpham" />
< meta name="DC.date" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" content="2004-01-01"
/>
< meta name="DC.type" scheme="DCTERMS.DCMIType" content="Text"
/>
< meta name="DC.format" content="text/html 39259 bytes"
/>
< meta name="DC.identifier" scheme="DCTERMS.URI" content="http://www.pmforum.org/library/papers04/state3pt1.html"
/>
< meta name="DC.source" content="Managing High Technology
Programs and Projects 3rd Edition Russell D. Archibald " />
< meta name="DC.language" content="english" />
< meta name="DC.coverage" content=" a review of the global
state of project mangement circa 2003" />
< meta name="DC.rights" content="Copyright Russell Archibald
2004" />
For consistency in PM documentation it is vital that a controlled vocabulary act as a standard for PM resource descriptors. To this end we have settled on the Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms, the most significant and complete glossary of project management terms in existence. That is, to act as our PM ontology for future use in tagging significant PMFORUM PM Knowledge documents.
This PMFORUM intitiative is a small step towards the "Semantic PM Web." While particlar PM meta tagging will improve the retrieval of PM Web Knowledge the three issues of :
have not been solved. While all of these are being worked on it is not in the immediate future for them to come together to improve the retrievel of PM Web Knowledge. However, we must work with what we have and the PMFORUM is taking a pragmatic approach to improved web semantics while at the same time keeping a listening brief on the more theoretical thesis for improved Internet PM Knowledge management.
David Curling
Executive Editor
PM World Today
Author Note: A Dialogue with Ranier Volz on the Semantic PM Web
Rainer Volz is an international expert on PM Peer to Peer (P2P) and virtual project topics. Rainer is a regular Author of the PM World Today with columns dealing with the use of virtual project management applications, RSS and PM Weblogs.
David Curling asked Rainer Volz:
I read your article on RSS basics and I agree that this additional meta tagging will be a job for small organizations like the PMFORUM. Am I moving in the right direction with the PMFORUM? .
What do you think? Am I caught up in some misplaced enthusiasm for a semantic
web
that does not exist and may never come about. Do you think that it is worthwhile,
even for an improved current search engine point of view to code the Dublin
Core?
References
1. The Semantic Web - Scientific American May 17, 2001 Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila .A new form of Web content that is meaningful to computers will unleash a revolution of new possibilities
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=00048144-10D2-1C70-84A9809EC588EF21
2. Metalog http://www.w3.org/RDF/Metalog
3. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) http://www.w3.org/
4.An introduction to ontologies http://www.SemanticWeb.org/
copyright® 2004 LODAY Systems Ltd.
Sherman Mullin
A program manager (PM) has broad total management responsibility. The efforts encompass financial skills, customer interface skills, leadership skills, and many more. Read what Sherman Mullin, who retired as president of the Lockheed Advanced Development Company (Skunk Works), has to say about the ideal qualities of a good PM and how to become one.
Your Career as a Program Manager is sure to enlighten, inform, and inspire all current and aspiring PMs.
http://www.pmboulevard.com/expert_column/archives/reg/Career_as_PM_Mulli n.pdf
AMACOM, the publishing arm of the American Management Association, has asked me as Editor to update the AMA Handbook of Project Management, first published in 1993. I have invited Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin, Editor-in-chief of the Center for Business Practices and former Editor-in-chief of PMI Publishing, to join me as co-editor for the Second Edition, which will be completed in 2004. (Chapters will be due by August 1.) In addition, John Adams, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Western Carolina and ex-president of the Project Management Institute, is assisting us in an advisory capacity. We are inviting some of the authors from the previous edition to update their previous contributions, and we are also extending the invitation to some other authors to write new articles on emerging topics.
-- Paul C. Dinsmore
Overview of the updated content of the Second Edition: This text is designed specifically as a supplement to PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The content does not duplicate the materials provided by the PMBOK Guide, but helps the reader understand and integrate these materials, and extends their understanding of project management into areas well beyond the material covered in the PMBOK.
Below are descriptions of the sections of the book where writing opportunities exist.
Section 1 is designed specifically to aid the reader in learning and preparing for taking PMI’s PMP certification exam. Chapters will map to the knowledge areas of the PMBOK Guide. Authors for this section should be PMPs, instructors for PMP preparation, or with extensive experience in the knowledge area and familiarity with the new (2004) draft of the PMBOK. Topics open:Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Communications, Risk, Ethics, Preparing for the PMP Exam
Section 4 identifies a number of specific industries, technologies and specialty areas in which project management is widely used and recognized, and examines the unique priorities of the project manager in each of these different venues. The overall thrust of this section is designed to demonstrate that the basic concepts of project management, as defined in the PMBOK, apply universally across these venues, even though the specific concepts and ideas may have different priorities and influences on project management practices in each venue. These chapters should be case-study based. Some of the areas still sought are: health care, pharma, telecom, finance and non-profits.
Benefits to the contributing author: Two books, name on chapter as author, recognition as collaborator in the book, and resume in the back. This is a widely-used textbook and offers the author good visibility as an authority in the field.
Are you interested in participating in this project? Please contact