Abstract :
Several special issues and special sections are being planned for this Transactions over the next 2–3 years (the planning and executing cycle sometimes is as long as 3 years). One in particular requires participation from some of our “nonacademic” readers. It is a special issue on “Project Management” in Research, Development, and Engineering (R, D, & E). This subject has involved a number of special issues and sections over the past two decades and the response has been such as to encourage us to keep doing it. As in the past, we want to include as many “practitioner” papers as we can, reporting on actual experiences with both successful and unsuccessful attempts to improve the project management and control process. Professor William E. Souder, one of the two Associate Editors of this Transactions, is planning to edit the special issue. He would appreciate receiving relevant manuscripts, as well as inquiries about potential manuscripts. Some “theory” papers will be included, to reflect the leading edge of the state of the art in the field, but heavy emphasis will be placed, as in past special issues on this subject, on practical “how we did it, do it, or tried to do it” articles from managers in industry, government, and other R, D, & E-performing organizations. Note that we are seeking “how we did it” type articles and not “how to do it” type articles of the prescriptive type that do not describe specific experiences or practice in the field.