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Complexity – What’s new?
...systems from ordered systems and engage purposefully and productively with complexity. Complexity need no longer be seen as a necessary evil that limits what we can do. It is a fact of life that we can allow for in the way we work, without compromising the quality or integrity of our efforts. References 1. Lindblom, C. 1959. The Science of "Muddling Through". Public Administration Review 19 (1): 79-88. 2. Lindblom, C. 1979. Still muddling, not thr...
Read moreComplexity and project risk
...eeping changes or disruptive events, we console ourselves by blaming it on complexity. While complexity may actually be the root of many of our problems, most of us are not mentally prepared to work with it and, for some, it can just be a convenient excuse. It is quite rare for anyone to suggest that detailed analysis and tight control might not have been the best way to tackle a challenging project, but this is worth contemplating. Approaching co...
Read moreAdapting governance for complex projects
...despread use. At the same time there are sound approaches for dealing with complexity. In fact, almost any method for dealing with complexity could play a role in project management. In particular, two important principles appear to offer the prospect of assisting the governance of complex projects: Bringing senior managers into closer touch with those at the project working level and their direct observations, not limited to routine management re...
Read moreComplexity and risk
...n change the goal of a project. We can do better if we separate order from complexity. When we face complexity, we need to disrupt the knee-jerk response to risks by: Avoiding premature convergence on fixed ideas Understanding that we can influence but not control Investing in soft monitoring of the emerging state of the system Watching for weak signals Locking down the bits we can. We can make sense of this using the Cynefin framework. This prese...
Read moreComplexity resources
...n some of the principles of complexity and the Cynefin framework that sets complexity in contextThis short video sets out the Cynefin framework and explains how complexity relates to order and chaos A description of how the ideas embodied in the Cynefin framework came to be developed can be found in the paper by Kurtz and Snowden A useful mini-book prepared by Greg Brougham sets out some of the applications of the methods and ideas flowing from th...
Read moreComplexity methods to support design
...s and consultants from the fields of operations research, design, risk and complexity. In addition to touching on some more general points, Stephen's presentation focused on narrative based methods and the use of SenseMaker(TM) to work with large scale and geographically dispersed groups of stakeholders for both single pass and longitudinal exercises. It expanded on the points made in a recent article, Complex design thinking: beyond the designer’...
Read moreWhat does risk look like in a complex project?
...ter of December 2014. Risk management has an interesting relationship with complexity. Established approaches to project risk management are based on a classical linear project execution model. The rise in truly complex projects represents both an opportunity and a need for fresh thinking. Complexity is sometimes seen as a source of risk in itself, one of the factors to be considered during a risk assessment. At the same time, emergent behaviour p...
Read moreComplexity and design
An article by Stephen Grey on the value of complex systems methods for public sector program design was published in The Mandarin on the 1st of September 2016.An article by Stephen Grey on the value of complex systems methods for public sector program design was published in The Mandarin on the 1st of September 2016. It outlines the shift in viewpoint that can be achieved by drawing on the end-users' perception of their needs and priorities. Goin...
Read moreShared services implementation
...at the contract management function must manage. Accurately reflecting the complexity of shared services in a contract and managing that complexity across multiple stakeholders is a major challenge. Contract management personnel experienced in simpler or smaller contracts may not have the skills or capacity to effectively manage a large shared services contract. On their side, the service provider’s personnel are generally established to suit the...
Read moreThe real risk to your project budget
...tations and will challenge biased or conflicted assessment must: Limit the complexity of the human judgements it requires, so that these judgements can be made reliably, and Use numerical calculations that are closely aligned to the real world behaviour that they represent. A robust model design will ask those producing the inputs to describe uncertainty in terms that make sense to them. This means that a predefined structure cannot be imposed. It...
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