On a hiking expedition yesterday, my wife and I came across several mounds of rocks; one of them pictured here.  Archaelogical investigations by the University of Georgia state that these rock “cairns” are a mystery.  They are frequently clustered on the southeast slopes of hills throughout the Appalachian and Piedmont areas of Georgia.  They are believed to be ceremonial and religious in nature and represent one of the early cultures of the area.

The mystery remains unsolved; maybe one day an artifact will be discovered that is the key to unlock the origin and purpose of the mounds.

As I examined these mounds, I thought back to the great pyramids of Egypt.  Though it is easier to envision building these rock mounds than building the pyramids, there are still many unanswered questions about the whys and the hows surrounding these fixtures of ancient history.

Wouldn’t it be a marvel to pour over the project plans of ancient projects that precede the records of project management?  Project management is not a new discipline – it has been around since Stonehenge, the pyramids, and even these rock cairns.  What we know today about project management, however, stems from records and developments in modern history.  The Manhattan Project, the Polaris Missile Project, and the Alaskan Oil Pipeline are all examples of projects which have contributed to project management technologies, tools, and methods that we use today.

I wonder what new methods will be attributed in the future to being developed in some of today’s projects?  What cutting-edge techniques or philosophies are being created in your projects today?  Be sure to capture and document the lessons learned and best practices from your projects  – don’t just leave a pile of rocks over which future PMs will have to scratch their heads in curiousity.