Once again Andrew Filev - through Elizabeth Harrin - has a description of PM 1.0 straight out of the 1980's. This little story of how projects are chartered and then managed is reminisent of how projects were chartered and managed before personal computing.
It was not that long ago that a printed out Project Charter would be the start of project approval. The key stakeholders would physically sign the document, which would be passed in the internal mail between parties, finally returning to the project manager to update the version control for the document to version 1.0. She would then file it away for safe-keeping and proof that the initiation phase was over and that the real work could begin.
If "not long ago," means 1988 maybe.In 1988, I was the director of software development for a Fault Tolerant Process Control company, where we had world wide operations for our real time control system. All specifications, project plans, correspondence, and procurement approvals were done over email.
Steve Garfein essentially invented the notion of EDI for defense procurement on the AH-64 in 1974. HP-9000's used to exchange contracts, specifications, maintain configuration control and the Master Schedule for the Apache in Hughes Fullerton plant. Steve - a long time colleague - is an emeritus member of PMI, EPO of the Apache, Program Manager for numerous mission critical programs from defense to Dream Works.
He'd be surprised to hear that "not long ago," PM's filed the charter in a file cabinet. So would the 100's of PMs at TRW, Northrup, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and other government and defense contractors.
Maybe the PM 2.0 folks need to get out more and see how all this talk of PM 2.0 has been in place for 3 decades
