A Look Back: My Personal Project Management Experience

Times have definitely changed. Back in the pre-historic computer era, I had my first exposure to project management and planning in the early 1970s when I was working on a gold mine. We planned some of our underground tunneling projects by using the Critical Path method.

Back then we did all of our calculations and drew all of our charts using pencils on plain, large sheets of paper. It was a great exercise in making us think and plan all the sequence of activities and tasks required. Unfortunately it also took many hours of discussions and meetings to complete all of these plans by hand.Fast forward a few years. My next exposure to project planning and management was in the early computer era. With no personal computers around just yet, mini-computers were arriving but in 1979, room-size mainframe computers were all that was available. At the time, I was working for Control Data, a company out of Minneapolis. I worked for their Cyber-net Services division, in their African bureau, where you could lease time on their large mainframe computer. One of the software applications which they had installed was for project management. We had a full team of consultants who would review your project and put the plans into the computer, for a relatively costly charge I might add. These were highly paid experts who understood project management and the computer systems.

Now fast forward to present era. What a change. Now using web-based project management software like Easy Projects .NET, a person can quickly outline, plan and manage a project, all on line; no large desks with paper and pencils required. No large mainframe computers anymore either. All you need is just internet access from a personal computer.

If someone had told me in the early 1970’s when I was working on our mine tunneling projects about planning and collaborating over a computer network spanning thousands of miles, I would not have been able to comprehend what they were talking about. Back then, it sounded as something out of a dream. Havent we come far? Isn’t modern technology wonderful?

Have you had some interesting project management experience. If you’re new to the game or been around for ages, we’d love to hear from you!