Discussion Groups:
Internet Applications for Project Management Communication
PM Discussion Groups and PM Text Conferencing
David H. Curling, B.Eng (Mech), P.Eng, p.t.s.c., Certificated Project
Manger,
Fellow APM, Fellow PMI, CD
Background
The recent cancellation of the PMFORUM's Discussion Boards has some lessons learned for the operation and management of PM Discussion Boards and Email Lists. This is a personal view of PM Discussion Boards and Lists from the engine room perspective. I expect that we might get a slightly different view from users, that is a view of the whole ship. Only the not for profit , altruistic PM Internet Discussion Board and Lists communication initiatives are reviewed. I do not comment on PM vendors who offer, discussion boards and email lists as an adjunct to their main site, that is, a venue for product and commercial services.
A PM Discussion Board and a List, to be successful over the long term, must be conducted with a select and focused PM group. I am not sure that I needed to relearn this lesson but apparently my enthusiasm for application of new Internet technology overcame any reservations that I had in the initial phases of setting up the PMFORUM's Discussion Boards.
The PMFORUM's PM LEARN and PM FORUM Discussion Boards were not focused such that continual support was given to a useful "thread" of questions and discussion.
The goal of the PMLEARN Community was for project management students to explore the discipline of project management. While the goal of the PMFORUM Community was to encourage discussion and debate on project management issues and knowledge that contributes to the project management world view public knowledge base.
The Members did not have a clear purpose other than a general interest in project management happenings and affairs. The Welcome page provided a premise of group goals but these were in the main not embraced by most of the community. The result was that the Discussion Boards just motored along without much useful discussion or information exchange taking place.
There were some management problems and issues experienced with the PM LEARN and PM FORUM Discussion Boards. The most significant was keeping the group focused on the objectives of the Board and deleting the bad guys who posted messages that had no connection to PM or were blatant commercial offerings. The overriding issue was that most postings were top of the head and not of much value to learning or information exchange. Both needed a proactive PM mentor to monitor the threads and keep the Board in focus. I was not able to provide this mentoring and I was unable to enlist anyone who would act as a full time mentor. The Boards limped along with the premise that any road will get you there if you do not know where you are going.
Further, most PM Discussion Boards require one to have access to the Board and its Server to post a comment. With real PM practitioners saddled with a very busy task load the early enthusiasm and time on line fall off and the Board enlists yet another set of correspondents. The result is a desultory maintenance of any useful PM discussion. The email Lists deliver a comment direct to a local inbasket and allow at least a breathing space for more considered observation.
It is not enough to build it and they will come. Discussion Lists can be powerful community enhancing vehicles or they can be the window for ego and other chattering class sounding boards.
A Discussion Board must:
- be focused on a particular issue or will soon disappear into discussions that have little value to PM learning and information exchange.
- have a pro-active mentor who will ensure that the discussion is focused and relevant
It is a question of value for effort expended. I am not certain that either the PM LEARN or PM FORUM initiatives were value received for effort expended but I cannot speak for the 600 or so members of each of these Communities.
David
Curling is Editor of the PM World Today and Webmaster of the PMFORUM. He has
been a professional soldier , systems engineer, test and validation engineer,logistics
engineer, project manager and senior public servant. He provides project management
services as a Principal Consultant of LODAY Systems Ltd. to both government
and industry. David has particular expertise in the management of major international
projects.