Acknowledgements
First of all, we would like to pay tribute to Wayne Pferdehirt, our dear friend and colleague, who was the one of the driving forces behind this publication, and whose ideas and practical experience shaped every lesson. Since his unexpected passing in 2019, we have worked to carry on his legacy as a deeply admired teacher and engineer, a proponent of excellence in all undertakings and, above all else, a kind and compassionate man. He is deeply missed.
We also owe a debt to Alexander Laufer for introducing us to the concepts of living and geometric order in his book Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management: Practices That Deliver Remarkable Results. His thoughts greatly shaped our work on this book, and we regularly turned to his writings for insights on technical project management. This book was also influenced by Susan Ottmann, and David Pagenkopf, who shared project management wisdom drawn from many years of experience. A very special thank you to Brian Price and Robert Merrill, who reviewed many drafts and offered numerous contributions that greatly expanded the practical advice included in this book on several topics. We also owe a warm-hearted thank you to Larry Roth, who generously shared his thoughts on risk and other essential topics throughout the book generally, and in Appendix A specifically, where he shares his philosophy on risk management in the face of climate change. Many thanks to Gary Whited, whose contributions are drawn from his decades of engineering experience. Matthew Potter contributed his thoughts on the value of reliable promising, and Michael Mucha graciously discussed numerous project management topics in a wide-ranging interview.
The authors would also like to thank our students for making project management come alive with their participation and sharing of their experiences in fields ranging from capital projects to consumer products to software. Each application area has its own unique context, challenges, and opportunities, and allowed us to explore how theory and practice interact and complement one another.
Finally we acknowledge the exceptional work by Ann Shaffer in developing this text. Ann worked with Jeff, Wayne, John, and all the contributors and reviewers to develop, refine, review, and finalize each of the lessons in this text. Her fresh insights and big-picture perspectives, which extended far beyond engineering, contributed valuably to the breadth, language, and format of the finished text. We greatly appreciate the talent, passion, commitment, and collegial attitude that Ann brought to this project.
Jeffrey Russell
John Nelson
