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Managing Complex Projects
An Introduction to the Impact of Complexity on Today’s Project Environments
#1031 / Four 3-hour sessions
CEU Credits: 1 . 2 / PDU Credits: 12
Price: USD 850
IIL/University Price: USD 1050
#5041 / 2 Days
CEU Credits: 1 . 4 / PDU Credits: 14 / CPE Credits: 16
Price: USD 1495
IIL/University Price: USD 1695
As knowledge and technology expand
exponentially, organizations are finding that
the tools, processes, and methods used to
select, plan, and manage their projects are
insufficient for the challenges posed to them .
Complex projects don’t necessarily follow
the rules of traditional projects – in many
instances, the projects’ end-products, and the
methods by which they will be produced, are
not easily defined . Stakeholder diversity and
geographical dispersion contribute to the
difficulties project managers face in their efforts
to gain acceptance of project goals, objectives,
and changes.
Additionally, hierarchic leadership styles,
traditional lifecycle approaches, and traditional
project manager competencies may no longer
maximize the efficiencies that need to be
realized on complex projects.
Prerequisites
• Advanced understanding of, and significant
experience in, the management of large,
increasingly complicated projects
• A PMP® or equivalent certification is
desirable but not mandatory
Course Level
Advanced
Who Should Attend
• Senior project managers who are currently,
or about to become, engaged in the
management of a complex project
• Senior managers who act as sponsors for
complex projects
• Senior managers who are involved in the
selection and the business value assessment
of complex projects
Performance Focus
• Providing you with a working knowledge of
project complexities
• Setting you up with a framework for
managing the ambiguities involved in
today’s fast-changing, competitive, and
technology-based environments
What You Will Learn
You’ll learn how to:
• Appreciate complexity and its impact on the
management of projects
• Diffuse the impact of the “conspiracy of
optimism”
• Use a profiling tool to understand the
dimensions of a project’s complexity
• Consider the effects of complexity on the
PMBOK® Guide’s process groups
• Apply a high-level framework in the
management of real-world projects
Course Overview
(Note: Major exercises are listed in this outline,
however, other interactive events, such as class
discussions, and individual, paired, or group
activities are sprinkled liberally throughout this
learning experience .)
Getting Started
• Introductions
• Course structure
• Course goals and objectives
Complexity and Projects
• Some characteristics of complex systems
• Important models/characteristics of complex
projects
• Landscapes and project typologies
• A supplemental framework for managing
complex projects
• Introduction to the IIL “FIBONACCI” complex
project management framework
Framing
• Summary, importance, and potential pitfalls
of Framing
• Potential Framing pitfalls
• The Conspiracy of Optimism (a la ICCPM)
and its attendant problems
• Brain evolution and decision making
• Possible solutions
• Exercise – Project Framing
Inception
• Summary, importance, and potential pitfalls
of Inception
• Centrality of risk management
• Demonstration of Project Complexity Profiler
• Exercise – scenario-based risk management
exercise
• Project manager competencies and selection
• Stakeholder identification and analysis
Blueprint
• Summary, importance, and potential pitfalls
of Blueprint
• Collaborative planning
• Stakeholder engagements
• Exercise – stakeholder engagement
• Project lifecycle approaches
• Collaborative scheduling
• Procurement Management
Oversight, Navigation, and Adjustment
• Summary, importance, and potential pitfalls
of O, N, & A
• Leadership and the project team
• Stakeholder management – internal,
partners, and customers
• Exercise – stakeholder issues scenario
• The importance of networks
Close and Continuous Improvement
• Summary, importance, and potential pitfalls
of Close and Continuous Improvement
• Transition and support
• The increased importance of post-project
evaluations
• Rewards and Recognition
Summary
• What did we learn, and how can we
implement this in our work environments?
PMP® and PMBOK® are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
