Max Wideman's PM Wisdom

Max Wideman has over half a century of practicing a variety of Project Management (PM) disciplines. This site brings together a permanent record of the accumulated experience and learning that Max has gained in Project Management throughout this time.

It is for those with an interest in PM, have questions, or just want "how to" answers from our Issacons. This site has serious Papers by Max as well as by knowledgeable Guest authors. The Musings often raise issues, with a little English humor for lighter reading. Just click one of these links and start from the bottom of the page!

If you:
     • have to learn PM in a hurry — go to our cartoon series PM 101;
     • want help with a lot of typical daily PM tasks — go to Issacons;
     • like reading serious ideas on how to conduct PM — go to Papers;
     • seek to know what other PM masters think — go to Guests;
     • need a good place to start — try the paper PM 1st Principles;
     • are interested in a book on PM — take a look at PM Framework;
     • require the meaning of different PM terms — go to the PM Glossary;
     • wish to see the whole scope of this site — go to the Site Map;
     • are looking for something specific — then use our search page.

New This Month — May 2023

Musing: Considering starting a new business or some similar financial venture, but with limited capital? Then take heed of Clarence Wilkins's advice offered here.

Musing: Your new responsibilities includeds a team of marketers? Then turn to Odessa Powell's recommendations for adopting project management as a basis for organizing strategy and goals, as well as creating a positive environment for tracking progress.

Guest: Author Robin Hornby argues that in The Evolution of Project Management the effectiveness of project management is greatly improved when the entire organization responsible properly fulfills its own part in supporting all intended projects. He points to specific drivers that lead naturally to "responsible collaboration".

Musings: Author Aisha West observes that Innovative Project Managers can inspire all employees, help them achieve their own and company goals, and create a positive work environment where only good results are acceptable.

Papers: First Principles of Project Management Revisited - Part 3. Given the objective of project management becoming a serious professional discipline, has this now been achieved? Let the reader decide after studying First Principles of Project Management - Part 3. This Part 3 provides a Simple Concept Map, a (new) Project Goal, a set of Objectives for assembling a Project Management Knowledge Structure (PMKS), Assumptions, and a containment border (Criteria for Exclusion) on which to base a conclusion.

Paper: Based on the criteria described in Part 1 of this paper, the following First Principles of Project Management - Part 2 have been developed. All the principles presume favorable assumptions regarding the cultural ambience in which the project takes place.

Paper: First Principles of Project Management - Part 1. This paper provides the launch pad upon which all subsequent project management developments should be based.

Guest: Have you ever worked with a contractor who did shoddy work, didn't complete the job, or had an attitude problem which made the relationship very unpleasant? Jonathan Fishbeck, CEO of EstateSpace offers suggestions for Avoiding frustrations in high-end construction projects.

Paper: The Widemans on the move again, is described in some detail, not only by way of interest, but because some of the details may well be of interest to those contemplating a similar move.

Guest: Author Angela Civitella offers Nine Lessons for Leadership No One Mentions because they are all things that you would likely learn as you go along by rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. As Angela desribes them, the nine lessons cover: Opportunities, Micro-worrying, and Satisfaction; Connections, Overnight Success and Neglect; and Failure, Spread and Teamwork.

Issacons (Issues and Considerations) are sets of slides providing summary information for specific questions associated with particular PM topics. Designed to save hours of searching yet more detailed than a plain bulleted list.

PM Glossary version 5.5 is free on this site. The glossary shows how many project management terms mean different things to different people. However, for the latest version 6.1 see PM Glossary v6.1 choices.

Papers & Books are thought-provoking and valuable insights into project management and include numerous book reviews. You will also find information about books that I have written or co-authored from time to time.

Max's Musings are brief thoughts on various project management topics.

Guest Articles contain articles on particular PM topics contributed to this site by a wide range of other authors.

Click on the links above to see the most recent additions.

About Max is a brief biography outlining my professional career, some personal history, and even a little trivia about me.

P.Eng.
FCSCE, FEIC, FICE, FPMI, FCMI*

*What do these letters mean? See Recognition on this page.

Copyright — The contents of this site are protected by copyright and may not be used by commercial or non‑commercial organizations without written permission.

Disclaimer — The views expressed are those of the contributors and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy or reliability of the content or the results of its application.

More, much more . . .
(Other areas and interests)