1. Introduction
PMMilestone.org ("we", "our", "us", or the "Platform") is an educational project controls resource operated by Dr. Hassan Eliwa. We publish free calculators, dashboards, articles, guides and reference material for project managers, PMO leaders, planners, schedulers, cost controllers and construction professionals worldwide. We respect your right to privacy and are committed to handling any personal information you provide with transparency, proportionality and care.
This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect when you visit pmmilestone.org or any of its sub-paths, how that information is used, the lawful basis for processing it under the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR, the third-party services we rely on, how cookies and advertising identifiers work on our pages, and the rights you have over your personal data. By using the Platform you confirm that you have read and understood this Policy.
2. Information We Collect
The vast majority of interactions on PMMilestone.org are fully anonymous. Our calculators and tools execute entirely in your browser; the values you type into an SPI, CPI, EAC or risk calculator are never transmitted to our servers, stored in a database or shared with any third party. We collect personal data only in a small number of clearly identified situations:
- Voluntary submissions: when you subscribe to our newsletter, request the Free AI PM Toolkit, submit our contact form or otherwise initiate communication, we collect the information you provide (typically your name and email address, and any message body you write).
- Technical metadata: standard server and analytics logs capture information your browser sends automatically — IP address (truncated or hashed where possible), approximate geographic region, device type, operating system, browser version, referring URL, the page you requested and the timestamp of the request.
- Cookies and similar technologies: small text files placed on your device by us or by approved third-party services to remember preferences, measure aggregate traffic and (for advertising partners) deliver more relevant ads. See Section 5 for full detail.
- Advertising identifiers: when Google AdSense serves an advertisement on the page, Google and its partners may read or set cookies and mobile advertising IDs in accordance with their own privacy notices.
We do not knowingly collect special categories of personal data (race, religion, health, biometric data, sexual orientation, political opinions). We do not knowingly collect data from children under the age of sixteen; if you believe a child has provided personal data to us, please contact us so we can delete it.
3. How We Use Your Information
Personal data that you submit voluntarily is used solely for the purposes for which it was provided. Specifically we use the information described above to:
- Deliver the educational resources, downloads, newsletters and toolkits you requested.
- Reply to enquiries received through the contact form, by email or via LinkedIn.
- Maintain, secure, monitor and improve the Platform, including diagnosing errors, blocking abusive traffic and measuring performance.
- Produce aggregate, de-identified statistics about which articles, guides and calculators are most useful so we can prioritise future content.
- Comply with applicable legal obligations, court orders, regulatory requests and tax record-keeping requirements.
We do not sell, rent, trade or lease your personal data to any third party. We do not use your data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing (GDPR & UK GDPR)
Where the GDPR or the UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following lawful bases: consent for newsletter subscriptions, marketing communications and non-essential cookies; performance of a contract when you request a specific resource or service from us; legitimate interests in operating, protecting and improving the Platform (balanced against your rights and freedoms); and legal obligation where we must process data to comply with applicable law.
5. Cookies, Local Storage and Similar Technologies
PMMilestone.org uses a small number of cookies and local-storage entries. They fall into the categories listed below.
- Strictly necessary: required for the site to load and render correctly (for example, basic security tokens or session identifiers). These cannot be disabled.
- Functional: remember preferences such as theme, calculator history saved locally in your browser, and language selection. No personal data leaves your device.
- Analytics: aggregate usage measurement (page views, traffic sources, average session duration) that helps us understand which content is most valuable. We anonymise IP addresses and do not combine analytics data with directly identifiable personal data.
- Advertising: set by Google AdSense and approved partners to deliver, frequency-cap and measure advertisements. See Section 6.
You may control cookies through your browser settings (clear, block, or accept). Most modern browsers also allow you to install extensions that block third-party advertising and tracking cookies. Disabling cookies will not break the educational content on the Platform but may reduce the relevance of advertisements you see.
6. Google AdSense and Third-Party Advertising
PMMilestone.org displays advertisements supplied by Google AdSense (publisher ID ca-pub-4439123042780145). Google and its certified advertising partners use cookies, web beacons and mobile advertising identifiers to serve ads based on the user's prior visits to PMMilestone.org and other websites on the internet. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve advertisements based on browsing activity. You may opt out of personalised advertising at any time by visiting the Google Ads Settings page, or you can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.
For users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google operates under the IAB Transparency & Consent Framework. Where required by law, you will be prompted to provide or withhold consent for personalised advertising the first time you visit the site.
7. Analytics
We may use privacy-respecting analytics products (for example Google Analytics 4, Cloudflare Web Analytics or self-hosted equivalents) to measure traffic. Analytics providers process data on our behalf as data processors, are bound by data-processing agreements and use the minimum information necessary to produce aggregate reports.
8. Affiliate Links and Future Monetisation
Some pages on PMMilestone.org may contain affiliate links to books, courses, certifications, software or training products. Where this is the case, we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial judgement; we recommend only resources we genuinely believe are useful for project controls and PMO professionals. From time to time we may introduce paid premium offerings, sponsored articles or other monetisation models. Any such additions will continue to comply with this Privacy Policy and will be clearly disclosed.
9. Data Retention
Personal data is retained only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Newsletter subscriber records are retained until you unsubscribe; contact-form submissions are retained for up to twenty-four months for support and reference purposes; server and analytics logs are retained for a rolling period of up to twelve months.
10. International Transfers
Because the Platform is operated globally and uses cloud infrastructure, your data may be processed in countries outside your country of residence, including New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States. Where personal data is transferred from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom to a country that has not received an adequacy decision, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards.
11. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to request rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data, to request erasure of your data, to restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority — in the European Union with your national data protection authority, and in New Zealand with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
12. Security
We apply commercially reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure, including HTTPS encryption in transit, access controls on administrative interfaces, and the principle of least privilege for any third-party processor we use. No method of transmission over the internet is one hundred per cent secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or other factors. When we make material changes we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of the page. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
14. Contact
For privacy enquiries, data-subject requests, advertising questions or to report a concern, please reach us via the contact page or message Dr. Hassan Eliwa directly on LinkedIn. We aim to respond to verified requests within thirty days.
Related: Terms & Conditions · Disclaimer · About PMMilestone.org
