PM History Lessons: Escape from the USSR

Paul Bruno, PgMP, PMP has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of project management and information technology. He holds bachelor's degrees in management and computer software, as well as master's degrees in business administration and history.

  Career Development   New Practitioners   Risk Management   ProjectsAtWork  

In the summer of 1979, a young Soviet physicist decided to embark on an all-or-nothing project to obtain his freedom. Alexander Jourjine’s inspiring journey features eight lessons that can benefit all project leaders who face great risks, difficult decisions, and seemingly impossible obstacles.

Many historical events and milestones meet the definition of a project as a “temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end that is undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, which will typically bring about beneficial change or added value.” The goal of the PM History Lessons series is to provide practical knowledge applicable to today’s projects while exploring some history along the way.

The Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR) was founded in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian revolution. The envisioned utopia quickly devolved into a totalitarian state with Joseph Stalin firmly in control by the late 1920s. Stalin instituted brutal repression and purges which resulted in the murder of millions of his own people. Following Stalin’s death in 1953, the USSR slowly deteriorated and by 1979 the country, while appearing outwardly strong, was dying from within. Strong border defenses were built, not only to keep others out, but to keep the citizens in.

In 1979 a young Soviet citizen living in Moscow, physicist Alexander Jourjine, decided to risk it all by …

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