CONTACTS 
0201 - Wideman, R. Max                                                                                                                                                    O-00000665 0101
020101 - Mr. R. Max Wideman

SUBJECTS
Proposal, Contract & Support
Turner, San Francisco
Cost/Benefit of Better Communications
Market Fears Being First to Use New Methods
Communication Manager Fewer People More
Cost Benefit - Increase Usefulness, Reduce
Level of Effort, Calculate Cost Benefit
Overhead Managers are Unproductive
Communication Manager Not Needed Hire More
Diminishing Returns More Managers Need
PMBOK

1813 -
1813 -    ..
1814 - Summary/Objective
1815 -
181501 - Follow up
181502 -
181503 - x0001 Followed up work at ref SDS 27 0000, ref SDS 26 0000.
181505 -  ..
181506 - Made contact with Max Wideman who has expertise in Risk Management
181507 - from having co-authored a section on this subject in the previous
181508 - version of the PMBOK.  He was receptive.  I submitted email explaining
181509 - the matter in greater detail, including developing problem of
181510 - congestion in time and space.
181511 -
181512 -
181513 -
181515 -  ..
1816 -
1817 -
1818 - Progress
1819 -
181901 - Received response from PMI National Website giving a phone number for
181902 - Max Wideman.
181904 -  ..
181905 - On 970624 Max was recommended by Bill Duncan, ref SDS 23 7305, and he
181906 - authored the Risk Management section of the prior version of the
181907 - PMBOK.
181909 -  ..
181910 - Max co-authored the section on Risk Management in the previous PMBOK.
181911 - It has a listing of specific risk factors to evaluate, ref OF 1 line
181912 - 229, which is missing from the new PMBOK. ref OF 4 line 12. The prior
181913 - version uses a speeding bullet to exemplify the type of risk for
181914 - events over which management has no or minimal control, and therefore
181915 - can only plan for responding, ref OF 1 line 73. This is similar to the
181916 - example used in the POIMS paper of a "time bomb ticking" as a result
181917 - of having embedded miss-understanding, ref OF 6 line 58.
181918 -
181919 -     [On 970703 cited this point in a letter. ref SDS 28 2294.]
181921 -  ..
181922 - Max has authored a number of project management books, ref OF 1 line
181923 - 666.
181925 -  ..
181926 - The article distinguishes "pure risk" which are matters over which
181927 - management exercises limited control, such as weather and earthquakes,
181928 - from "business risk" which is controllable by management and has the
181929 - potential for loss or gain, ref OF 1 line 168.
181930 -
181931 -
181932 -
181934 -  ..
1820 -
1821 -
1822 - 0932 Called Max Wideman    604-736-7025
1823 -
182301 - Explained my objective to calculate the added value of a Communication
182302 - Manager based on risk management principles, and cited discussion with
182303 - Bill Duncan that Max may be able to help.  Advised I have reviewed the
182304 - Risk Management section of the previous version of the PMBOK which he
182305 - wrote and found the list of potential risks helpful.
182307 -  ..
182308 - Asked about how he would quantify the risks that a Project Manager or
182309 - Communication Manager solves, ref OF 1 line 110.
182311 -  ..
182312 - Max explained that he has done a lot of project reviews, which
182313 - includes examining project history to obtain lessons learned.
182315 -  ..
182316 - Max gave his email address
182317 -
182319 -  ..
1824 -
1825 -
1826 - 1013 Submitted email to Max
1827 -
182701 - Scenario to Evaluate Cost/Benefit of Communication Metrics
182702 -
182703 - Submitted ref DIT 1 confirming our discussion, and included the
182704 - explanation to Chuck Horton on my objective to deal constructively
182705 - with objections in the market place about competitiveness issues, as
182706 - related by Steve at Turner Construction, ref SDS 22 4775, by using a
182707 - scenario for evaluating cost/benefit of a Communication Manager,
182708 - ref DIT 1 line 69.
182709 -
182710 -     [See response on 970703. ref SDS 28 2294]
182712 -      ..
182713 -     [On 970723 called Stanford for research. ref SDS 31 6292]
182715 -  ..
182716 - Diminishing Returns, More Managers Cause Congestion, Bureaucracy
182717 -
182718 - The key point is that people believe missunderstanding can be avoided
182719 - by more "communication," which means more information from meetings,
182720 - calls and email.
182722 -  ..
182723 - Drucker, however, points out that more information does not yield
182724 - better communication, reviewed on 931130. ref SDS 2 KX47  This, also,
182725 - overlooks Landauer's explanation that "meaning" changes over time and
182726 - between individuals, reviewed on 960518, ref SDS 6 3734 based on
182727 - different experiences and emotions of listeners, per example of
182728 - evolving message conveyed in the military, reported on 970624.
182729 - ref SDS 24 7006  The problem of "congestion" and diminishing returns
182730 - of bureaucracy, discussed in a meeting with Morris on 951228,
182731 - ref SDS 5 RL7L, and with Turner Construction on 960529, ref SDS 7 1111
182732 - 503, and the role of "knowledge creep" as evidenced in SDS records,
182733 - become the "speeding bullet" that causes damage.
182734 -
182735 -     [See U.S. Air Force study on entropy, ref SDS 29 0108
182737 -  ..
182738 - Communication Metrics is a proactive way to change misunderstanding
182739 - from a "speeding bullet" type risk that can only be addressed by a
182740 - response program, ref OF 1 line 80, or contingency allowance, into a
182741 - genuine business opportunity for improving earnings, as cited in the
182742 - earlier PMBOK, ref OF 1 line 167, and based on the article for PMI NCC
182743 - on "Turning Straw into Gold," ref OF 10 line 32, prepared at ref SDS 10
182744 - line 109.
182746 -  ..
182747 - We need to quantify project risk of misunderstanding, meaning drift,
182748 - as well as the degree of desire to seek opportunity for increased
182749 - income or reduced risk of loss by actively construing communication in
182750 - a manner more favorable to one side than to another, as a function of
182751 - the number of communications that occur, ref OF 1 line 110, and at
182752 - ref OF 1 line 124.
182753 -
182754 -     [See start of spreadsheet to do this ref SDS 30 line 93; and
182755 -     further considerations at ref SDS 33 line 47.]
182757 -      ..
182758 -     Possibly Tom Landauer could cite some studies that illustrate
182759 -     meaning drift in business meetings.
182760 -
182761 -       [See follow up contacting Tom on this, ref SDS 32 line 145.]
182762 -
182763 -
182764 -
182765 -
1828 -

SUBJECTS
PMBOK
Asilomar, PMI NCC
Evaluation, Welch
Asilomar Conference Lessons Learned

2206 -
220701 -  ..
220702 - Followed up work at ref SDS 20 line 61, ref SDS 21 line 72.
220704 -  ..
220705 - Submitted the paper on Asilomar Redux, ref OF 8 line 15 to Max for any
220706 - comments he wishes to make, ref DIT 1 line 37. Since he reviews
220707 - projects, this project review might be improved by his experience.
220708 -
220709 -
220710 -
220711 -
220712 -
220713 -
2208 -