A volume in I.S.C.E. Book Series Managing the Complex Series Editors Michael Lissack and Kurt A. Richardson, ISCE Research "The Metis of Projects" addresses veteran project manager Ben Berndt's unease with the use of established (project) management frameworks given their general inefficacy. Despite the use of these frameworks, it is estimated that some 30% of projects still fail because they deliver too late, cost more than expected and/or lack quality. Often, projects and their environments are too complex to be controlled by rather linear frameworks. Where most practitioners define complexity as "complicated," most academics define complexity (more correctly) as interrelatedness. In recent years, the academic community has developed several "level-of-complexity frameworks;" however, these frameworks are not commonly known to practitioners and are therefore not regularly used. And, when examined further, these frameworks appear to be merely environmental scans, used to assess the level of complexity in the project management environment. But projects also carry inherent complexity; they are socially complex, and it is this social complexity that-paradoxically-needs management. Combined with personality assessments, social network theory is used here to glean a better understanding of the social complexity in a project. Berndt believes that, following Hugo Letiche and Michael Lissack's emergent coherence concept, managers should steer clear of frameworks in order to come to grips with the complex, and so he introduces whole systems methodologies, in which group understanding is used to continually set a next step. Berndt concludes his study by describing his multi-view, multi-tool participative project management style, which he thinks best aligns with (managing) the complex.

Development projects that span different disciplines and groups often face problems in establishing a shared understanding of the project's purpose, deliverables, and direction. Creating Shared Understanding in Product Development Teams: How to 'Build the Beginning' uses research-based cases from TC Electronic, The Red Cross, Daimler AG, and Copenhagen Living Lab to demonstrate one approach to this problem complex. It shows how prototyping specific physical artifacts can function as drivers and focal points for creating the much needed shared understanding. Encompassing both the participant's and the facilitator's point of view, Creating Shared Understanding in Product Development Teams: How to 'Build the Beginning' provides both practical examples and theoretical explanation for the process of creating shared understanding. This book provides a toolbox and a practical guide for planning, executing, and facilitating workshops. The result is a clear outline of how to facilitate the creation of physical artifacts that enables and stimulates communication between team members, users, and stakeholders in order to create shared understanding of projects

This book examines agile approaches from a management perspective by focusing on matters of strategy, implementation, organization and people. It examines the turbulence of the marketplace and business environment in order to identify what role agile management has to play in coping with such change and uncertainty. Based on observations, personal experience and extensive research, it clearly identifies the fabric of the agile organization, helping managers to become agile leaders in an uncertain world. The book opens with a broad survey of agile strategies, comparing and contrasting some of the major methodologies selected on the basis of where they lie on a continuum of ceremony and formality, ranging from the minimalist technique-driven and software engineering focused XP, to the pragmatic product-project paradigm that is Scrum and its scaled counterpart SAFe (R), to the comparatively project-centric DSDM. Subsequently, the core of the book focuses on DSDM, owing to the method's comprehensive elaboration of program and project management practices. This work will chiefly be of interest to all those with decision-making authority within their organizations (e.g., senior managers, line managers, program, project and risk managers) and for whom topics such as strategy, finance, quality, governance and risk management constitute a daily aspect of their work. It will, however, also be of interest to those readers in advanced management or business administration courses (e.g., MBA, MSc), who wish to engage in the management of agile organizations and thus need to adapt their skills and knowledge accordingly.

A practical handbook for career project managers and those involved intermittently with projects throughout their career.
Brief and visually led, Managing Project Delivery gets to the point, giving you the knowledge and confidence to manage project benefits and increase the certainty of success.
Focused on the needs of engineering and technical Project Managers, but generic enough to support projects in other areas such as business change, IT and product development.
Supported by downloadable on-line project benefits management tool templates that enable the techniques developed in the book to be applied in practice.
Comprehensive real world case studies demonstrate the use of tools.
Successful projects are the basis for the business many successful organisations, but many professionals lack the basic skills required to manage projects successfully. This book shows how to maximise the outcomes of projects and to ensure that the benefits arising from projects -- large or small -- are fully realized by the business. This key outcome can be easily overlooked or sidelined by the need to keep projects on track.
Managing Project Delivery provides simple yet powerful tools to ensure that projects deliver on their goals in a controlled and accountable manner. It is the first of four project management titles that separately build skills and together provide a powerful project management resource.
* A practical handbook for career project managers and those involved intermittently with projects throughout their career.
* Brief and visually led, Managing Project Delivery gets to the point, giving you the knowledge and confidence to deliver projects and increase thecertainty of success.
* Focused on the needs of both engineering and technical Project Managers, but generic enough to support projects in other areas such as business change, IT and product development.
* Supported by downloadable on-line project delivery tool templates that enable the techniques developed in the book to be applied in practice.
* Comprehensive real world case studies demonstrate the use of tools.
* Project delivery is the third stage of the project lifecycle. This book shows how to maintain control and forecast the project outcome. Provides expert advice, tried-and-tested techniques and a delivery toolkit to address:
- Business alignment
- Value delivery
- Control and forecasting

This volume features papers from the 18th International Congress on Project Management and Engineering, held by the University of Zaragoza in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Project Management and Engineering (AEIPRO). It illustrates the state of the art in this emerging area. Readers will discover ways to increase the effectiveness of project engineering as well as the efficiency of project management. The papers, written by international researchers and professionals, cover civil engineering and urban planning, product and process engineering, environmental engineering, energy efficiency and renewable energies, rural development, safety, labor risks and ergonomics, and training in project engineering. Overall, this book contributes to the improvement of project engineering research and enhances the transfer of results to the job of project engineers and project managers around the world. It will appeal to all professionals in the field as well as researchers and teachers involved in the training of future professionals.

This book describes the latest methods and tools for the management of information within facility management services and explains how it is possible to collect, organize, and use information over the life cycle of a building in order to optimize the integration of these services and improve the efficiency of processes. The coverage includes presentation and analysis of basic concepts, procedures, and international standards in the development and management of real estate inventories, building registries, and information systems for facility management. Models of strategic management are discussed and the functions and roles of the strategic management center, explained. Detailed attention is also devoted to building information modeling (BIM) for facility management and potential interactions between information systems and BIM applications. Criteria for evaluating information system performance are identified, and guidelines of value in developing technical specifications for facility management services are proposed. The book will aid clients and facility managers in ensuring that information bases are effectively compiled and used in order to enhance building maintenance and facility management.

* Links the contemporary tools and methodologies in project management (such as Agile, Scrum, Lean) to the context of event management; * Explains and discusses the theory in an applied context, linking to sustainable project management and the latest development in the technology; * Uses a range of international case studies to show the theory in practice; * Includes contributions from a diverse range of international experts; * Online lecturer resources to accompany in the form of teaching ppt slides, end of chapter multiple choice questions and sample questions; This text provides a unique lens for studying event project management in the era of sustainability, digital transformation, smart cities and rapid development in technology. It discusses and explains how to manage events utilising the sustainable project management model adapted to the specific context of event management. Part of the Event Management Theory and Methods Series. This series examines the extent to which mainstream theory is being employed to develop event-specific theory, and to influence the very core practices of event management and event tourism. They introduce the theory, show how it is being used in the events sector through a literature review, incorporate examples and case studies written by researchers and/or practitioners, and contain methods that can be used effectively in the real world. With online resource material, this mix-and-match collection is ideal for lecturers who need theoretical foundations and case studies for their classes, by students in need of reference works, by professionals wanting increased understanding alongside practical methods, and by agencies or associations that want their members and stakeholders to have access to a library of valuable resources. Series editor: Donald Getz PhD., Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, Canada.

This book explores how agile development practices, in particular pair programming, code review and automated testing, help software development teams to perform better. Agile software engineering has become the standard software development paradigm over the last decade, and the insights provided here are taken from a large-scale survey of 80 professional software development teams working at SAP SE in Germany. In addition, the book introduces a novel measurement tool for assessing the performance of software development teams. No previous study has researched this topic with a similar data set comprising insights from more than 450 professional software engineers.

Successful projects are the basis for a successful company, but many professionals lack the basic skills required to manage projects successfully. The Project Management Toolkit guides readers through each of the four key life-cycle stages that lead to effective project management. Focussed on successful project delivery in the engineering, industrial and process sectors, the books are aligned to the standard PMP (Project Management Professional) body of knowledge from the PMI and APM project management organisations and develop the PM knowledge that career project managers and those who only intermittently lead projects will be expected to use. The books tailor these tools to meet the particular challenges faced in these sectors, which can vary considerably from the needs of the IT, customer or financial services projects that are routinely covered in other guides. Each book can be used as a stand alone guide or be combined to provide a complete and powerful PM resource.
-Get up and running on your project quickly and effectively: books focus one step at a time on the needs of engineering, industrial and process projects for career project managers and those involved with project intermittently
-Practical, hands-on guides for those tasked with capital, product development or operational projects, aligned with the industry-standard PMP body of knowledge
-Accompanied by online project planning and delivery tools, templates, workflow organizers and data sheets, plus check-lists, case studies and copious expert know-how

This third edition of an Artech House bestseller is packed with fresh, field-tested insights on how to plan, lead, and complete projects with unprecedented efficiency. It provides project managers with expanded coverage on critical chain planning, multiple project selection and management, critical change project networks, new Lean techniques related to critical chain project management (CCPM), and effective strategies for bringing about the organisational change required to succeed. This cutting-edge work spells out all the CCPM techniques, tools, and theory managers need to develop critical chain solutions and apply them to their challenging projects. Moreover, the book helps managers master key project skills not covered in other critical chain books, such as scope control and risk management. This easy-to-follow resource shows managers how to shorten project delivery time, eliminate cost and scheduling over-runs, manage project resources more efficiently, reduce stress on their project teams, and finish projects that meet or exceed expectations.

At a time when business demands urge companies to innovate and CIOs face increasing cost pressures, offshore delivery offers the opportunity to industrialize the implementation processes for system harmonization, consolidation, and enhancement, thereby realizing substantial cost savings and quality improvements. Rightshore(R) - a registered trademark of Capgemini - is about organizing the distributed delivery process that embraces on-site, nearshore and offshore services.

This book describes successful global delivery models utilizing industrialized methods to deliver SAP(R) projects from India. While the first part is devoted to management concepts, service offerings and the peculiarities of working together with India, the second part features eight case studies from different industries and from around the world describing how India delivery centers have been successfully deployed in SAP(R) development projects.

This is an in-depth look at how to improve decisions on major projects at the concept stage, when there is scant information available. The book describes how to evaluate judgemental information. It looks at how scant information can actually be a strength, and can help establish a broad overall perspective.

* Links the contemporary tools and methodologies in project management (such as Agile, Scrum, Lean) to the context of event management; * Explains and discusses the theory in an applied context, linking to sustainable project management and the latest development in the technology; * Uses a range of international case studies to show the theory in practice; * Includes contributions from a diverse range of international experts; * Online lecturer resources to accompany in the form of teaching ppt slides, end of chapter multiple choice questions and sample questions; This text provides a unique lens for studying event project management in the era of sustainability, digital transformation, smart cities and rapid development in technology. It discusses and explains how to manage events utilising the sustainable project management model adapted to the specific context of event management. Part of the Event Management Theory and Methods Series. This series examines the extent to which mainstream theory is being employed to develop event-specific theory, and to influence the very core practices of event management and event tourism. They introduce the theory, show how it is being used in the events sector through a literature review, incorporate examples and case studies written by researchers and/or practitioners, and contain methods that can be used effectively in the real world. With online resource material, this mix-and-match collection is ideal for lecturers who need theoretical foundations and case studies for their classes, by students in need of reference works, by professionals wanting increased understanding alongside practical methods, and by agencies or associations that want their members and stakeholders to have access to a library of valuable resources. Series editor: Donald Getz PhD., Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, Canada.

A definitive roadmap for implementing effective supply chain management

Strategic sourcing redefines the traditional approach to buying and using materials and services. Purchasing and supplier programs are receiving substantial attention in current professional literature, but there is little information on implementing supplier strategies and techniques.

Harnessing Value in the Supply Chain offers a specific, step-by-step approach to the strategic sourcing process, developed by the author at Southern California Edison. This unique reference provides expert guidance on designing, launching, executing, evaluating, and maintaining a sourcing project. It includes illustrations, examples, and templates for immediate use. Finally, supply chain management and strategic sourcing are presented in a usable, comprehensive, and cost-effective framework.

To illustrate this approach, the book describes the experience of Southern California Edison, a utility company that achieved $150 million in annual cost reduction through a strategic sourcing program. The story is told from the perspective of the people who led the revolutionary change at SCE, as wellas the suppliers. A detailed method on how to duplicate SCE's success is included in the book.

This book is unique in that it fully traces a strategic sourcing initiative from conception to implementation—and it is the only book that documents the SCE story. Harnessing Value in the Supply Chain is a powerful tool that will help organizations optimize their resources and develop relationships to sustain effective supply chain management.

This unique book that deals with project communication management in complex environments, taking a leaf from China s experience with a major earthquake in Sichuan, would be a timely contribution to fill this lacuna. Readers would be able to understand how companies and organizations that are unprepared for crisis management would react to their detriment. The lessons provided in this book are the only one of its kind to highlight the lessons for companies and organizations to prepare themselves for successful project communication management through the complexity-informed framework. Although the book is written by two building professionals, the concepts and lessons presented are generic and equally applicable for businesses outside of the construction industry; for example, for airports, resorts, hotels, shipyards, etc."

For professionals striving to achieve communications expertise, this book explains how to energize projects, create momentum, and achieve success by talking and listening to staff members.

The need for enterprise flexibility in an era of rapidly advancing technology, increasing competition, and globalization, is apparent. Flexibility can be thought of as an ability of the enterprise to quickly and efficiently respond to market changes and to bring new products and services quickly to the market place. Beyond this definition, a truly flexible enterprise should proactively change the market through its ability to create new and innovative products and services. The proposed book is intended to provide a conceptual framework of Flexible Enterprise supported by researches/case applications in various types of flexibilities exhibited by a flexible enterprise. The selected papers from a variety of issues concerning the planning and operation of a flexible enterprise are organized into following four parts:

I Enterprise and Strategic Flexibility

II Organizational Flexibility

III Business Process and Information Systems Flexibility

IV Operations Flexibility "

Getting organizations going is one thing. Stopping them is another. This book examines how and why organizations become trapped in disastrous decisions. The focal point is Project Taurus, an IT venture commissioned by the London Stock Exchange and supported by numerous City Institutions. Taurus was intended to transform London's antiquated manual share settlement procedures into a state of the art electronic system that would be the envy of the world. The project collapsed after three year's intensive work and investments totalling almost GBP500 million. This book is an in depth study of escalation in decision making. The author has interviewed a number of people who played a key role and presents a most readable account of what actually happened. At the same time she sets the case in the broader literature of decision making.

Managing risk is essential for every organization. However, significant opportunities may be lost by concentrating on the negative aspects of risk without bearing in mind the positive attributes. The objective of Project Risk Management: Managing Software Development Risk is to provide a distinct approach to a broad range of risks and rewards associated with the design, development, implementation and deployment of software systems. The traditional perspective of software development risk is to view risk as a negative characteristic associated with the impact of potential threats. The perspective of this book is to explore a more discerning view of software development risks, including the positive aspects of risk associated with potential beneficial opportunities. A balanced approach requires that software project managers approach negative risks with a view to reduce the likelihood and impact on a software project, and approach positive risks with a view to increase the likelihood of exploiting opportunities. Project Risk Management: Managing Software Development Risk explores software development risk both from a technological and business perspective. Issues regarding strategies for software development are discussed and topics including risks related to technical performance, outsourcing, cybersecurity, scheduling, quality, costs, opportunities and competition are presented. Bringing together concepts across the broad spectrum of software engineering with a project management perspective, this volume represents both a professional and scholarly perspective on the topic.

Emilia Mendes discusses stepwise regression modelling, care-based reasoning, and classification and regression trees. It will help small web development companies improve their cost estimation process.

Software effort estimation is a key element of software project planning and management. Yet, in industrial practice, the important role of effort estimation is often underestimated and/or misunderstood. In this book, Adam Trendowicz presents the CoBRA method (an abbreviation for Cost Estimation, Benchmarking, and Risk Assessment) for estimating the effort required to successfully complete a software development project, which uniquely combines human judgment and measurement data in order to systematically create a custom-specific effort estimation model. CoBRA goes far beyond simply predicting the development effort; it supports project decision-makers in negotiating the project scope, managing project risks, benchmarking productivity, and directing improvement activities. To illustrate the method's practical use, the book reports several real-world cases where CoBRA was applied in various industrial contexts. These cases represent different estimation contexts in terms of software project environment, estimation objectives, and estimation constraints. This book is the result of a successful collaboration between the process management division of Fraunhofer IESE and many software companies in the field of software engineering technology transfer. It mainly addresses software practitioners who deal with planning and managing software development projects as part of their daily work, and is also of interest for students or courses specializing in software engineering or software project management.

When we look at a program or a project, to identify its size in terms of 'large', it would be advisable to consider a few factors that determine the size i.e., effort, uncertainty and complexity involved in delivering the outcome. This book is intended to provide the required lateral thinking in this field of management excellence.

This book explores how to design and implement planning & control (P&C) systems that can help organizations to manage their growth and restructuring processes in a sustainability perspective. The book is not designed to enable the reader to become an experienced system dynamics modeler; rather, it aims to develop the reader's capabilities to design and implement performance management systems by using a system dynamics approach. More specifically, the book shows how to develop system dynamics models that can better support an understanding of: -What is organizational performance and how to frame and measure it; -How to identify and map the processes underlying performance; -How to design and implement a dynamic performance management system and link it to strategic planning; -How to tie strategic resource dynamics to processes and performance indicators; -How to link strategic resources, and performance indicators to responsibility and incentive systems. Using a dynamic performance management approach can improve an organization's capability to understand and manage the forces driving performance over time, as well as set goals and objectives that may properly and selectively gauge results and match them to the key responsibility areas in the planning process. The dynamic performance management approaches covered in the book are beneficial to performance management analysts, enabling them to frame their professional field within the broader context of the system. The book also includes numerous case studies and dynamic performance management models for providing examples of how dynamic performance management works in practice. In addition, a literature review is included to provide a guideline for further improvements to those readers who wish to develop relevant, specific, and detailed system dynamics modeling skills and to establish the foundation for teaching system dynamics applied to performance management in organizational and inter-organizational contexts. This is particularly relevant for graduate students who have taken system dynamics courses and need to apply their own skills to business and public management.