WELCOME
By David Pells
Managing Editor
Addison, Texas, USA
Welcome to the May 2026 edition of the PM World Journal (PMWJ), our 164th monthly edition. This month’s PMWJ is another diverse and interesting edition, with 49 new works by 54 different authors representing 19 different countries. The new additions this month bring our totals to 5,742 works by 2,269 different authors representing 90+ countries published in the PMWJ to date and archived in the PM World Library. This month’s edition may well be our largest one yet, jam packed with interesting research papers, useful articles and entertaining stories, reports and book reviews. It even includes some recent news. But it’s taken an extra day or two to produce; that said, I hope it was worth the wait. I share some highlights and introductory information about the many contributions below, but first I thought a short follow up to my comments last month about the future of the PMWJ and library might be in order.
Introduction – Update on the Future of the PMWJ and Library
First of all, I am now looking forward to retiring, as I fast approach the late seventies in age. As the PMWJ and Library have grown, so have the time and effort to publish each month. I want to spend more time with my wife and daughter, explore some new places and activities, pursue some new hobbies and, well, give it a rest. Retirement may even provide more time to write my own articles and document some of my own knowledge and experience in the project management field, which I officially entered in 1976 (coincidentally, 76 is also my current age.)
So this is my first announcement that we are looking for a new home for the PM World Library (PMWL) and journal. The PMWL is where the legacy is, the collection of the thousands of good articles and papers published in the PMWJ since 2012 (and many older works as well). In addition to an archive of works published in the PMWJ over the years, we expanded the library ten years or so ago to more resemble traditional libraries, with access to more reference materials and links to many other resources not residing in our own library. The PMWL has thus become a tremendous resource for both new and continuous learning related to project and program management. In fact, students already represent the largest single category of library registrations (we offer two years of free membership to students and unlimited free access to professors).
But back on the subject of archiving works published in the PMWJ, the PMWL now contains legacy works by many authors. Many of you reading this welcome article and contents of the PMWJ this month will also have an author showcase webpage in the library where your published works can be found, downloaded and read by readers around the world. So we think, I think, this body of previously published works deserves to be preserved. Of course, as a collection of tremendous PM knowledge and experience; it should all be preserved and available for readers in the future.
In addition, I think some sections of the PMWL may be pretty unique. For example, the section on Public PPM resources provides links to PM related regulations, standards, practices and other information and documents from federal and state government agencies in the United States (and a few other countries). The section titled “Solving Global Problems” contains subsections on global initiatives and organizations, emergency response and disaster recovery, solving global human and social problems, solving global environmental problems, and animal rights and protections. The section on PM Profession resources was intended to contain information about the worlds PM professional bodies standards, qualifications, etc. The library now contains 22 subsections, each offering access to hundreds of PM-related resources. We think the PMWL is both unique and valuable.
The PMWJ is a platinum level open source journal (everything is free to publish, access, read and download). The PMWJ is also relatively unique in that authors can retain copyright to their own works. The PMWJ has thus become a valuable service to both authors and readers; the PMWL has also become a valuable service for authors as a repository of their works and to visitors as an ever-expanding resource for PM learning. The PMWJ and PMWL go hand-in-hand, the PMWJ produces new knowledge and then monthly increases to the collection in the PMWL. The PMWL provides an archive of all works originally published in the PMWJ, as well as author showcases where works are archived by and for authors and their readers.
We now think the most feasible home for the PMWL might be at a university, where libraries are historically needed and maintained, and many of which also support the production of journals and other publications. Perhaps obviously, such a university might need to have already committed to project management education and learning (and perhaps research), so there are probably a limited number of candidates. But what a resource the PM World Library and Journal could provide! I also think they could help attract more students, both locally and internationally. Perhaps more importantly, such a move should also provide more resources for curating and enhancing the library.
More…
To read entire welcome article, click here
Visit the latest edition of the PMWJ at www.pmworldjournal.com
How to cite this work: Pells, D. L. (2026). Welcome to the May 2026 PMWJ, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue V, May. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pmwj164-May2026-Pells-Welcome-to-the-May-2026-pmwj-3.pdf
About the Author
David L. Pells
Managing Editor, PMWJ
Managing Director, PMWL
David L. Pells, PMI Fellow, HonFAPM, ISIPM, PMA is Managing Editor and publisher of the PM World Journal (www.pmworldjournal.com) and Managing Director of the PM World Library (www.pmworldlibrary.net). David is an internationally recognized leader in the field of professional project management with nearly 50 years of experience on a variety of programs and projects, including engineering, construction, energy, defense, transit, technology and nuclear security, and project sizes ranging from thousands to billions of dollars. He recently acted as a program management advisor for two major U.S. national nuclear security programs.
David Pells has been an active professional leader in the United States since the 1980s, as founder and president of several PMI chapters, founder of PMI’s first SIG (Project Earth), and member of the PMI board of directors twice. He was founder and chair of the Global Project Management Forum (1995-2000), an annual meeting of leaders of PM associations from around the world. David was awarded PMI’s Person of the Year award in 1998 and Fellow Award, PMI’s highest honor, in 1999. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK; the Instituto Italiano di Project Management (ISIMP) in Italy; and Project Management Associates (PMA) in India.
Former managing editor of PM World Today, he is the creator, editor and publisher of the PM World Journal (ISSN: 2330-4880) and creator and curator of the PM World Library. David has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an MBA from Idaho State University in the USA. He has published widely and spoken at conferences and events worldwide. David lives near Dallas, Texas and can be contacted at editor@pmworldjournal.com.
To see other works by David Pells, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/david-l-pells/
