Comments on: History of project management http://constructionenglish.net/history-project-management-2/ Construction Magazine on Civil Engineering and Project Management Wed, 26 May 2010 08:17:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bruce Smeaton http://constructionenglish.net/history-project-management-2/#comment-120 Bruce Smeaton Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:31:58 +0000 http://civilengineerlink.com/?p=206#comment-120 Hi...please feel free to delete this post after reading it (I simply had no other way of contecting you directly). As the author of the only other comment on this page I just needed to ask you if there was a reason you prevented me from having a contextual link in the body copy (i.e. project planning software) and not even allowing a link via my (author) name? I don't spam websites (as you can easily see from the calibre of the comment). In fact, I'm not a prolific blogger at all. I am a retired creative director from Ogilvy & Mather Advertizing who now enjoys freelance web copywriting and search engine optimization roles. Project planning is a subject close to my heart, hence the reason for even commenting in the first place. And I would be delighted to offer further, content-rich posts on your blog if you would like that :) But it would just be nice if it could end up being a 'win win'. YOU get the content you want - I get the hyperlinked anchor text I want (as in "project planning software" in the first sentence of the comment I made above, as one example). I totally respect your wishes, but it would be nice to hear back from you on this - either way. Drop me an email to: smeatz@ihug.co.nz Cheers, Bruce Smeaton Hi…please feel free to delete this post after reading it (I simply had no other way of contecting you directly). As the author of the only other comment on this page I just needed to ask you if there was a reason you prevented me from having a contextual link in the body copy (i.e. project planning software) and not even allowing a link via my (author) name?

I don’t spam websites (as you can easily see from the calibre of the comment). In fact, I’m not a prolific blogger at all. I am a retired creative director from Ogilvy & Mather Advertizing who now enjoys freelance web copywriting and search engine optimization roles.

Project planning is a subject close to my heart, hence the reason for even commenting in the first place. And I would be delighted to offer further, content-rich posts on your blog if you would like that :) But it would just be nice if it could end up being a ‘win win’. YOU get the content you want – I get the hyperlinked anchor text I want (as in “project planning software” in the first sentence of the comment I made above, as one example).

I totally respect your wishes, but it would be nice to hear back from you on this – either way.

Drop me an email to: smeatz@ihug.co.nz

Cheers,

Bruce Smeaton

]]> By: Bruce Smeaton http://constructionenglish.net/history-project-management-2/#comment-119 Bruce Smeaton Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:37:56 +0000 http://civilengineerlink.com/?p=206#comment-119 Very interesting article re the history of project management. I'm actually an seo consultant for a project planning software company in New Zealand and I've always been fascinated (albeit morbidly so at times) with the 'seemingly immortal' ability of project managers to either: a) run over budget or b) exceed the preset deadline for project completion. In the case of the former, my own research has unearthed some truly spectacular failures when it comes to "cost overruns!" Take the Sydney Opera House, for example. That magnificent architectural icon checked in at a 'slightly less than respectable' 1400% cost overrun! And then there was the 'now defunct' supersonic Concorde - a 1100% overrun! I do think this incessant failure to keep a project within budget comes down to any one of three things: 1) Imperfect forecasting techniques due to inadequate data 2) Unjustified "optimism bias" from the forecasters themselves 3) Planned, systemic distortion of facts (i.e. "lying about the size of one's resources") purely in the interests of securing the contract for the project in the first place. As for not finishing a project in time? So much of it has to do with budget constraints along the way (i.e. covered in cost overruns0 that there's no need to mention it separately. Very interesting article re the history of project management. I’m actually an seo consultant for a project planning software company in New Zealand and I’ve always been fascinated (albeit morbidly so at times) with the ‘seemingly immortal’ ability of project managers to either: a) run over budget or b) exceed the preset deadline for project completion.

In the case of the former, my own research has unearthed some truly spectacular failures when it comes to “cost overruns!”

Take the Sydney Opera House, for example. That magnificent architectural icon checked in at a ‘slightly less than respectable’ 1400% cost overrun! And then there was the ‘now defunct’ supersonic Concorde – a 1100% overrun!

I do think this incessant failure to keep a project within budget comes down to any one of three things:

1) Imperfect forecasting techniques due to inadequate data

2) Unjustified “optimism bias” from the forecasters themselves

3) Planned, systemic distortion of facts (i.e. “lying about the size of one’s resources”) purely in the interests of securing the contract for the project in the first place.

As for not finishing a project in time? So much of it has to do with budget constraints along the way (i.e. covered in cost overruns0 that there’s no need to mention it separately.

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