Professor Dean Kashiwagi of ASU named International Editorial Advisor for PMForum and PM World Today

Jan. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- Dallas, Texas, USA — PMForum, Inc. announced today that Dean Kashiwagi, Fulbrght Scholar, Professor of project and construction management in the Del E Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University in the USA, has been named an international editorial advisor for PMForum and the online eJournal PM World Today.  PMForum’s international editorial advisory council, which now includes representatives from some of the world’s leading universities with graduate programs in project management, advises the company’s managing editor on content, quality and academic matters.

According to managing editor David L. Pells, “Dean Kashiwagi is leading some of the most exciting research in the world affecting projects and project management in the construction sector.  The results of his research are gaining attention worldwide, with Professor Kashiwagi now fielding speaking invitations from around the world.  It is an honor to have him join our team of advisors.”

Dean T. Kashiwagi, PhD, PE is also the Director of the Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG).  PBSRG is the worldwide leader in improving facility/project performance and efficiency.  Kashiwagi has developed a “hands off” approach to managing contractors or vendors in any industry.  His concept is contrary to traditional price-driven procurement. The technology has been tested over 500 times totaling $1.135 Billion ($683M in construction projects and $451 in non-construction projects) with a 98% success rate since 1994.   He is the author of the Information Measurement Theory and the best value Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS.)  Professor Kashiwagi is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award in which he is taking their management technology to the University of Botswana in Africa.  He work is also being tested in the Netherlands.   Kashiwagi has integrated these concepts into a Facility-Project Asset Graduate Program at ASU.  

Dear Kashiwagi has a PhD and MS in Industrial Engineering from ASU and a BS from the University of Hawaii. Prior to joining ASU, Dean was a Design/Project Engineer, Project Manager, Educator, and Researcher for the US Air Force during his 14-year tour. Dean was born in Hawaii, but has resided in Arizona for twelve years.

About the Performance Based Research Studies Group
The Performance Based Research Studies Group (PBSRG) is a non-profit research group at Arizona State University. Since 1994, the PBSRG has applied best value and leadership based concepts to develop organization and service models that enhance efficiency, performance, and minimize risk. The Developed Models: Reduce client management requirements; Create an effective risk transfer and minimization framework; Assist in defining performance and value (for entities, departments, vendors, or individuals); Establish accountability through measurement; Motivate continuous improvement; and Increase organizational efficiency.  The process models provide a method to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (six sigma) the performance of services, vendors, and personnel. The PBSRG’s best value and leadership concepts can be implemented within an organization and overlaid across any procurement and delivery structure. Within construction, it works in design-bid-build, CM at Risk, Design-Build, IDIQ, JOC, and can even enhance low-bid scenarios. For more information, visit http://www.pbsrg.com/.

About Arizona State University
Arizona State University (ASU) based in Tempe, Arizona, USA is a comprehensive public metropolitan research university enrolling more than 60,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on four campuses.  ASU is a federation of unique colleges, schools, departments, and research institutes that comprise close-knit but diverse academic communities that are international in scope.  ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty US states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.  ASU is a vanguard knowledge and discovery enterprise advancing trans-disciplinary teaching and research focused on the major questions of our time and the most pressing challenges that confront global society.  ASU also seeks to set a new standard for public service, and is an active partner with the private sector in initiatives to enhance the social well-being, economic competitiveness, cultural depth, and quality of life of metropolitan Phoenix and the state of Arizona.  Additional information available at http://www.asu.edu/about/.

About the Del E Webb School of Construction
The Del E. Webb School of Construction at ASU is one of 52 accredited construction programs through the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) and one of two Schools of Construction in the country. The school’s mission is to become a national center for construction education, research, and technology transfer, to study innovative technologies for implementation in the construction industry, and to promote international relationships.  In 1992, a $4 million endowment from the Del E. Webb Foundation enabled ASU to create the Del E. Webb School of Construction as a separate school within the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. The Del E. Webb School of Construction is currently being transformed into the first fully autonomous entity within ASU. A strategic plan is in development to make the School the premier construction management program in the world.  More information at http://construction.asu.edu/.

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About PMForum
Established in 1994, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first project management website and remains one of the world’s best known and leading sources of project management news and information. PMForum is an organization established to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also publishes the monthly online PM World Today e-Journal, where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading project management authorities and experts from around the world can be found. Free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net.

SOURCE: PMForum, Inc.
editor@pmforum.org