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Projects and Complexity
Helpful to those tasked with managing complex environments, Projects and Complexity introduces a new way of looking at projects and fostering the culture needed to achieve sustainable results. It brings together experts from the academic, military, and business worlds to explore project management in the context of complexity theory and organizatio
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2012
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April 8, 2013
This is a translated collection of articles by a group in Italy who found a common interest in complexity theory (specifically complex adaptive systems) and its application to or parallels with project management. They explore the connections and propose some ways to improve upon the traditional body of knowledge (i.e., the PMBoK) and practices in PM.
It is a very thought provoking book and I recommend it for anyone who finds traditional and static PM practice to be poorly adapted to today's more complex projects. As an author of a competitor to the PMBoK (AACE's Total Cost Management Framework) I was and am seeking ways to move beyond traditional control. I have been following systems engineering and dynamics, chaos and complexity theory for some time, but this is the first book that does away with the obtuse math and feedback models and talks narratively about the topic.
Indeed, a potential weakness for some will be the author's tendency to get too deep into philosophical and literary reference to anchor their thinking. A bit of arrogance comes through in their repeated reference to themselves as "complexnauts" as if nobody else has been on this voyage. They also display a dismissive attitude towards mundane things like measuring complexity (unworthy of a philospher?)
But they deserve credit for some new insights that are worth reading. They do provide an outline for some new approaches to the PMBoK, however, this book is far from a how-to and does not provide usable tools per se; it brushes the surface, but encourages further exploration. In short, anyone looking beyond the PMBoK (or TCM) should read this.
It is a very thought provoking book and I recommend it for anyone who finds traditional and static PM practice to be poorly adapted to today's more complex projects. As an author of a competitor to the PMBoK (AACE's Total Cost Management Framework) I was and am seeking ways to move beyond traditional control. I have been following systems engineering and dynamics, chaos and complexity theory for some time, but this is the first book that does away with the obtuse math and feedback models and talks narratively about the topic.
Indeed, a potential weakness for some will be the author's tendency to get too deep into philosophical and literary reference to anchor their thinking. A bit of arrogance comes through in their repeated reference to themselves as "complexnauts" as if nobody else has been on this voyage. They also display a dismissive attitude towards mundane things like measuring complexity (unworthy of a philospher?)
But they deserve credit for some new insights that are worth reading. They do provide an outline for some new approaches to the PMBoK, however, this book is far from a how-to and does not provide usable tools per se; it brushes the surface, but encourages further exploration. In short, anyone looking beyond the PMBoK (or TCM) should read this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review