Complex Project Management Training
Course 287
3 DAY COURSE

Learn Complex Project Management in this intensive real-world, three-day project scenario training course. Learn how to assess, communicate and manage complex projects. Gain a deep understanding of essential influencers of project success or failure and a tool set to address the specific issues for your complex project.

Complex Project Management Training Benefits

• In this course, you will:

  • Incorporate the science of complexity into project management strategies.
  • Manage complex projects involving strategic risks.
  • Apply a complexity assessment model and adaptive process.
  • Minimize uncertainty by leveraging best practices from Critical Chain, Agile, and Lean approaches.
  • Test your knowledge in the included end-of-course exam.

• Prerequisites

  We recommend attendees have a solid understanding of conventional project management at the level of the following courses:

  • Learning Tree course 296, Introduction to Project Management Training, or
  • Learning Tree course 340, Software Project Management Training

Complex Project Management Course Outline

Considering the Limits of Conventional Project Management

• Stretching the limits of conventional project management
• Rethinking the future of project management

Defining Complexity Science, Chaos Theory and Project Complexity Factors

Introducing complexity science and chaos theory

• Comparing and contrasting simple and complex systems
• Applying various complexity modeling techniques

Adopting the four-dimensional project complexity diagnostic tool

• Analyzing project boundary conditions to understand the complexity of your project
• Determining the edge of chaos
• Assessing the significance of complex project risks
• Communicating project complexity factors to others

Employing an Adaptive Project Management Process

Beginning with adaptive principles

• Building with Agile software development
• Borrowing from the combat operations loop and the scientific method

The four-step adaptive project management process

• Implementing rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration
• Managing adaptive requirements, change and quality
• Scheduling, budgeting and metrics on complex projects

Minimizing Scale on Strategic Projects

Aligning with corporate strategy and value engineering

• Executing portfolio management strategies
• Making the business case and delivering value
• Utilizing business capability and purpose alignment models

Developing small, strategic batches of work

• Applying Van Creveld's Iron Rule and Occam's Razor
• Delivering minimal marketable features

Managing Pace on Complex Projects

Maintaining control through speed and agility

• Dealing with daily disruptions
• Employing fast-tracking and crashing
• Compressing the critical path

Incorporating Critical Chain and Lean techniques

• Evaluating Critical Chain project management
• Employing the theory of constraints and five focusing steps to eliminate waste and optimize flow

Exercising Strong Leadership

Leading adaptive teams

• Developing your core competencies
• Growing your sphere of influence and managing politics

Building CRACK teams

• Facilitating emergent organization and self-management
• Agreeing on vision, goals, objectives and values
• Empowering and motivating the team
• Implementing effective feedback loops

Recognizing and Managing Risks

Identifying and managing risks with scenario modeling

• Quantifying and mitigating risk threats
• Exploiting risk opportunities for disruptive innovation

Implementing probabilistic estimating tools and techniques

• Managing precision and accuracy
• Correcting estimating bias and reducing variability
• Revisiting the cone of uncertainty and order of magnitude estimating
• Leveraging PERT, Monte Carlo and Agile techniques

Building Your Personal Action Plan

• Putting it all together
• Analyzing a real-world case study
• Assessing your own real-world projects
• Identifying specific actions you will take
• Gaining support and managing risks