Writing to Communicate

You have probably heard PB managers recite this mantra, because communication is at the heart of what we provide in services to our clients. Because so much of our communication is written, great importance is placed on your ability to write well. PB's career enhancement programs and other aspects of our corporate culture support this emphasis on writing.

Writing as Part of PB's Career Enhancement Programs

The PB Career Development Committee (CDC) has made good writing one of several criteria for advancement in the Professional Recognition Program, a program that has existed since 1979. Applicants for the Professional Associate title must have presented or published a paper in a professional publication in the three years prior to applying. Since 1994, the CDC has also sponsored the "Publication of the Year" award. About 50 papers were submitted in each of the past two years. The winners in 2000 were Glen D'Este and Jonathan Reid, whose papers will appear in the next issue of PB Network.

The following criteria (which the CDC subcommittee has used for the Publication of the Year) form a good checklist for any paper that you are writing.

• Readability: The paper should be clear in its presentation and be easily understood. It should not be intentionally written in academic or sophisticated jargon, but should be written to ensure a clear understanding of the research.
• Logic: The methodology used in the research should be logical and sound. The appropriateness of the methodology will determine the acceptance or rejection of conclusions and recommendations based on the research.
• Relevance: The research should be relevant to its field, either at the present, or in the future.
• Applicability: ... Often, research has been directed toward solving a unique problem with the result that it has extremely limited application. ... The paper should ... [make a] contribution to problem solving on a broad basis.
• Contributions: The paper should make a contribution to the solution of present or future problems.
  The paper should indicate clearly how much of a contribution is made.

Fellowship. Another example of the importance of good writing is PB's William Barclay Parsons Fellowship monograph, one of the key products that each year's Fellow produces. The monographs have become a source of technical knowledge that is highly recognized both inside and outside the firm. See PB Network #48 (November 2000, "William Barclay Parsons Fellowship Monograph is Instrumental in Business Development") to see how the three most recently published monographs (by Martin Schachenmayr, Rob Spillar, and Sunil Talati) have been instrumental in expanding PB's technical expertise in certain markets.


Writing for PB Publications. PB Network's mission is to provide a vehicle for PB staff anywhere in the world to communicate and network with others about interesting and unique technical solutions they have developed or are developing to solve real-world problems. One of our goals is to foster the professional development of employees by providing opportunities for writing and publication. (See PB Network # 47, "From The Editors".)


If you are considering submitting an article to PB Network, please tell us your idea, and the editors can work with you to develop a strong piece. (See In Future Issues.) Each issue is reviewed by our team of eight editors and advisors and by at least four guest reviewers who usually are technical leaders in that general subject area. Your article will reach more than 8,000 PB employees around the world, and some 1,000 clients and other outside readers. Many people have subsequently submitted their PB Network articles to professional publications, where the editors are often pleased to receive a carefully developed article.

You are also encouraged to submit articles or news to any of the newsletters of the practice area networks (PANs). Please contact the relevant PAN coordinators to find out the requirements for their newsletters. Some of the articles in past issues of PB Network have also appeared in the newsletters of the PANs sponsoring those issues.

Writing Workshop

PB sponsors a writing workshop to help professionals write letters, reports, e-mail, and other materials more quickly and effectively. Over the past 15 years, Willa Garnick and Lorraine Anderson (two of PB Network's long-time editors) have presented writing workshops more than 100 times in 30 PB offices across the U.S. The trainer meets with groups of 10 employees for a two-day intensive session, where you learn how to overcome writer's block and produce clear, concise documents in less time by practicing on documents that pertain directly to your area of business. If you want to learn more about the availability of PB's writing workshops, please contact your supervisor or human resources administrator, or contact HR Training Director, Lee Lawton (New York, 1-212-465-5060, lawton@pbworld.com).

Rewards of Writing

It is satisfying to receive comments about your writing. We frequently receive feedback on past issues of PB Network. Here are a few examples from issue 46 (March 2000) on alternative project delivery systems.

I got my copy of PB Network on Alternative Project Delivery Systems this morning and am having a hard time putting it down. After years of hearing about D/B in the abstract, it now has a lot more relevance in the context of actual project examples. ...I am sending a copy on to my client ... as they are considering Design-Build for portions of their starter LRT line. Congratulations on a job well done!! Each issue gets more impressive. I find PB Network to be a very valuable recruiting tool. When we say PB is committed to career development, I show PB Network and the WBP Fellowship Monographs as tangible evidence of our commitment to it. - Greg Benz

WHAT A TERRIFIC EDITION! This is going to give me many hours of pleasurable reading, starting on my flight tomorrow to San Francisco. I noted with interest, the Harrison/Janowski Lessons Learned article from Level 3. If we are planning a "chapter for a book," I'm sure that others beside me would love to share some stories from the trenches! Thanks for a good job done by all those that contributed. - David Calver

I just perused what I think is the best potential sales tool for us to use with our clients, ... the latest issue of PB Network magazine. IT IS EXCELLENT!!!! It is the best kind of sales tool: testimonials from PB "heavyweights" who have personally experienced the different aspects of the alternative project delivery systems. Congratulations to the writers... - Susana Florian

I've just finished reading Issue #46 cover to cover - it's very informative. I'll be making a presentation to the Minnesota Public Works Association Spring Conference ... on Design-Build and would like to hand out copies ... Thanks. - John Harrison

We thank the authors and reviewers of articles in this issue and every issue for their effort. We hope to convince more of you to contribute articles for PB publications,