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 organizations. These experts explore a systemic and organic approach to projects that widens the scope of a project manager’s role as well as the tools and capabilities required.The book provides readers with an understanding of the roots of project management in complexity theory and the human sciences. It explores seven principles of complexity theory and applies them to project management; examining project needs and features in terms of success parameters, team and stakeholders’ perspectives, the project manager’s perspective, and the perspectives of theory and practice.Explores a new humanistic paradigm in thinking about projects and project managementIllustrates the culture and philosophy of projects from a range of perspectivesOutlines an interdisciplinary approach to Project Management that integrates scientific and humanistic disciplinesThe contributors examine cutting-edge organizational models from management research and military leadership and map them to project management. They integrate insights from various disciplines to introduce tools that are relatively unknown to project managers and leaders. The book describes a paradigm that is complementary to traditional project management and also provides you with the philosophical, general management, and complexity theory findings needed to lead successful projects in complex environments.

Introduction. Complexity in Projects: A Humanistic View. A Philosopher of Science’s Opinion. Testimonies and Complexity. The Shared Vision as a Change Engine. Self-Organized Project Management. The Project beyond WBS. Stakeholders’ World. The Propitious Time. Leadership and Complexity. Narrating is Believing. Risk and Complexity. The Value of Redundancy. An Ongoing Journey.

About the Editors:Francesco Varanini spent three years as an anthropologist in Ecuador after obtaining his degree in sociology. Upon his return to Italy, he took a position with Mondadori, Italy’s leading publisher, with responsibility for human resources development, organization services, and the full-text database of company products. He currently works as a teacher and senior consultant in strategic and organizational development, new media, and social skills for change management. His projects include the Corporate University of Mobile Telecommunications Operator Vodafone and the Virtual Campus for e-Learning of Banca Intesa/Banca Commerciale Italiana (Italy’s leading banking group), Internal Portal of Autogrill Group. He also is member of faculty, head of e-business and information and communication technology area, director of e-business management master, and director of customer relationship management master for ISTUD—Istituto di Studi Direzionali (Italian Business School). He is also managing editor of Persone & Conoscenze, adjunct professor in knowledge management, Università di Pisa, Corso di Laurea in Informatica Umanistica (digital humanities), and scientific director of Assoetica (www.assoetica.it).Walter Ginevri, PMP®, PgMP®, has many years of experience as a senior consultant specializing in optimizing processes through the adoption of proven methodologies and tools. In this role, he collaborated with the most prestigious industrial groups and financial institutions providing advisory services within organizational turnaround programs. He has participated in European research projects (Esprit, Eureka), contributed articles to several journals and attended, as an invited speaker, international congresses about project and portfolio management. As founder and managing partner of PM for Complexity, he is a project advisor and ex