CONTACTS 
0201 - Sandwell, Inc.                     604 684 9311 fax 688 5913
020101 - Mr. R. F. Little; Program Manager =604 664 4630 fax 5230
020102 - PMI'94, Seminar/Symposium

SUBJECTS
PMI'94 Annual Symposium
Evaluation, Complex, Too Difficult to Explain
Explaining SDS, POIMS
Complexity of Management is Organized
Difficult to Understand

1207 -    ..
1208 - Summary/Objective
1209 -
120901 - Followed up work at ref SDS 12 line 40.  Received article in
120902 - PMNetwork that omits analysis of POIMS.  Called Brien Boone about
120903 - follow up, per discussion with Bob Little.  Brien will talk to Chris
120904 - Quaife about it.
120905 -
120906 - Submitted information on Communication Metrics, and evaluation of
120907 - SDS at PG&E.
120908 -
120909 -
1210 -
1211 -
1212 - Progress
1213 -
121301 - Received the article in Feb 95 PM Network p 42 which is ref OF 4 line
121302 - 15.  It reviews the presentations at the PMI conference in Vancouver,
121303 - ref SDS 9 line 39.  Alan W. Jackson who introduced me for the POIMS
121304 - presentation ref SDS 9 line 39, reviewed the "Leadership and Project
121305 - Earth, ref OF 4 line 104.  Ken Hartley (see discussion at ref SDS 1
121306 - line 36), reviewed Development and Construction, ref OF 4 line 55.
121307 -
121308 -
121309 - Communications a Growing Challenge
121310 -
121311 - There is a summary comment by David Cleland about PMI challenges.
121312 - Note (4) cites the impact on communications of increasing rates of
121313 - information, ref OF 4 line 47, which is a POIMS theme, ref OF 1 line
121314 - 15.
121315 -
121316 -
121317 -      POIMS Solution Ignored
121318 -
121319 -      Why is there no mention of the solutions presented at the
121320 -      conference, as for example the POIMS paper, per ref OF 1 line
121321 -      19?
121322 -
121323 -
121324 - The papers cited in this article offer no new ideas or methodologies
121325 - about how managers can improve their work, their ability to think,
121326 - remember and communicate, how earnings can be improved.  The article
121327 - says vision, leadership and teamwork are hallmarks of PMI's
121328 - contribution.  An example is the following sentence (p. 43 bottom of
121329 - column 1):
121330 -
121331 -     "The effective leader must make advantageous use of the tools and
121332 -     recognize the importance of the derived information in making
121333 -     decisions and communicating to the ever-changing diversity of the
121334 -     work force."  ref OF 4 line 87
121335 -
121336 - This is restating the obvious.  If it is the best that came from the
121337 - Vancouver conference, then the relevancy of PMI becomes questionable.
121338 -
121339 -
121340 - Bob Little asked me in November to continue pushing the POIMS theme,
121341 - ref SDS 13 line 65.  But without critical analysis, there is nothing
121342 - to push against.
121343 -
121344 -
121345 -
121346 - Management is Complex - Requires Integration & Balancing
121347 - ..
121348 - POIMS is difficult to explain because it automates and
121349 - integrates management which is a complex craft, ref OF 1 line 602, and
121350 - ref OF 1 line 146. (see SI under POIMS definition, and SDS features).
121351 - Lowell Skelton could not explain POIMS to Dan Ono after my remarks in
121352 - Vancouver, ref SDS 10 line 62.  Morris Jones, cannot explain POIMS,
121353 - neither could Bill DeHart, ref SDS 15 line 66.  PMI however aims at
121354 - fostering better project management.  Other than the marketing
121355 - function of "networking," this is its only purpose. Critical analysis
121356 - of new ideas offered to improve project management seems essential to
121357 - carry out PMI's mission.
121358 -
121359 -     [See later discussion at ref SDS 16 line 352.]
121360 -
121361 -
121362 -
121363 - Communication Metrics
121364 -
121365 - Perhaps laying out the natural progression in the evolution of
121366 - automation, integration and TQM metrics for cost and schedule
121367 - management, to now include "communication metrics" would help people
121368 - new to POIMS grasp its purpose, per discussion at ref SDS 15 line
121369 - 211, developed from the Kerzner lecture at ref SDS 14 line 82.
121370 -
121371 -
121372 -
1214 -
1215 -
1216 - 0935 called Brien Boone     604 731 5543
1217 -
121701 - Followed up discussion in June 1994 at ref SDS 7 line 192, and on
121702 - planning the POIMS presentation at ref SDS 6 line 103.  I related
121703 - the above ideas.
121704 -
121705 - Brien said Chris Quaife is preparing an evaluation of the conference
121706 - which will be delivered to a PMI gathering in March.  Brien evidently
121707 - has some input.  He has not seen the evaluation of the papers in this
121708 - month's PM Network, ref OF 4 line 7.
121709 -
121710 - I explained my interest in generating dialog about POIMS ideas for
121711 - the reasons discussed with Chris Quaife in 1990, at ref SDS 2 line
121712 - 122, and at the urging of Bob Little following the conference in
121713 - November, 1994, ref SDS 13 line 64.
121714 -
121715 - Brien said he and Chris felt the POIMS paper offered a fresh look at
121716 - project management, which is why they decided to include it in the
121717 - program even though it was submitted several months after the
121718 - deadline for receiving papers, ref SDS 4 line 44, and at ref SDS 5
121719 - line 56.
121720 -
121721 - Brien feels a professional conference like PMI '94 should be reviewed
121722 - for promising new ideas, and that a reasonable effort should be made
121723 - to foster critical discussion.  He said "communication metrics" and
121724 - automated integration of management practices promulgated by POIMS
121725 - technology appear to fit this criteria.
121726 -
121727 -
121728 - Follow Up
121729 -
121730 -   1.  I will submit an explanation of "communication metrics"
121731 -       expanding on the POIMS paper submitted to PMI.  Brien is
121732 -       leaving next week on a 5 week assignment.
121733 -
121734 -   2.  Brien will call Chris to see if he is interested in finding out
121735 -       what needs to be done to get a dialog going on POIMS.  I told
121736 -       him about Chris' review of these ideas in 1989, ref SDS 3 line
121737 -       39.
121738 -
121739 - He will call me if anything interesting develops from his discussion
121740 - with Chris.
121741 -
121742 -
121743 -
1218 -
1219 -
1220 - 1120 received call from Brien
1221 -
122101 -
122102 -
122103 -
122104 -
122105 -
122106 -