Complex Project Management Training

Course Outline

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
Course Dates - North America
Course Dates - Europe
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