About this Book

The book is organized around four major topics:

  • Understanding the challenges to managing complex projects
  • Improving project success through HR staffing processes and practices
  • Improving project Return on Investment (ROI) using agile project portfolio management
  • Establishing and maturing an enterprise project support office

Each of the four topics is presented as a standalone part. Whatever your position within the SMT you can focus on the parts of the book that are in your area of interest. Each topic is discussed from the perspective of the organization and how its SMT can establish the infrastructure and processes to support the management of complex projects, programs, and portfolios.

There are several books that describe the management of complex projects. They range from the definitive work of Kathleen B. Hass (Managing Complex Projects: A New Model, Vienna, VA: Management Concepts, 2009) to an earlier groundbreaking book by Jim Highsmith (Agile Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems, New York, NY: Dorset House, 2000). The focus of these and all the other current books about complex project management is the project. None deal with establishing an organizational infrastructure to accommodate the challenges to senior management of effectively supporting complex project management. How best to support complex projects is a learning process and few organizations have made much progress. The history of project failures and ...

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