A presentation given by Dr Harvey Maylor to the APM Planning, Monitoring and Control SIG and guests at the University of Warwick, Coventry 2015. Dr Harvey Maylor, Major Projects Leadership Academy – Select the right people for the right job, then develop them. Use complex as a lens. Finally “all models are wrong”, although I am not sure he meant this literally.

1. How hard can it be?
Dr Harvey Maylor
CARBS Event
University of Warwick
January, 2015

3. Rethinking organisational design for
the business of projects
Complexity response:
disciplines, behaviours,
processes
Complexity
portfolio
Capability and
capacity
Competitive
Strategy
Project-levelOrganisational-level
Advanced Project Thinking:
Constraints + Lean + Visual
Management

4. The complexity crisis
Time
Complexity / Capability
Complexity
Capability

5. Identify
managerial
complexities
Actively
manage
complexities
Working framework
Complexity
assessment
tool
Resolve, reduce,
run with
Determine
managerial
response
Processes,
people,
paradoxes

6. Academic Background
 Grounded study (Maylor, Vidgen and Carver, 2008)
 Systematic Literature Review (Geraldi, Maylor and Williams, 2011)
 Proof of concept and complexity assessment tool (Maylor, Turner and Murray-
Webster, 2013)
 Can be summarised into 3 key dimensions:
Structural complexities
Socio-political complexities
Emergent complexities

7. Managing Complexities
 How to actively manage the complexities being
faced?
 How many complexities are self-inflicted?
 Three ways of addressing each:
Resolve – make it go away
Reduce – make less severe
Run with it – work out response
Q. In 43 workshops with a total of 1100 managers, what % of the identified
complexities were they able to plan to resolve or reduce?
A. 22% B. 52% C.82%

8. Responding to complexities:
The MLE approach
Influencer:
relationship-builder
• What style of project leader do we need?
Strategist:
Proactive, adaptive
S
E S-P
Manager / Operations
deconstruct and solve

9. Responding to complexities:
Personal development
We asked a group of 246 PMs these questions
“In your work, which of the 3
complexities is the most difficult to
manage?”
“In your own formal training and
development, which of the 3
complexities has received the most
attention?”

10. Teaching using complexity as a lens
• Done research and seen impact in practice
• Teaching using complexity lens
• Look at how to respond to complexities
• e.g. Leading Project Success – BAE Systems
Leader:
relationship-builder
Entrepreneur:
adaptive, flexible
S
E S-P
Manager:
deconstruct and solve

11. For future research
Complexity
of
Response
Structural
complexities
Socio-political
complexities
Emergent
complexities
4. Build on
3. Iterative not linear
complexity response
1. Research AND Development 2. Standing on the shoulders…

12. So what?
Complexities of projects
RRR
Complexity response
References:
Maylor, H., Turner, N. and Murray-Webster, R. (2013), ‘How Hard Can It Be? Actively Managing the Complexity of
Technology Projects,’ Research-Technology Management, (3*), Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 45-51.
Geraldi, J., Maylor, H. & Williams, T. (2011), “Now Let’s Make It Really Complex (Complicated): a systematic review of
the complexities of projects,” International Journal of Operations and Production Management, (3*) Vol. 31, No. 9, pp.
966-990.
Maylor, H., Vidgen, R. and Carver, S. (2008), “Managerial Complexity in Project-Based Operations: A Grounded Model
and Its Implications for Practice,” Project Management Journal, (2*) Vol. 39 No.S1, pp. 15-26.
The future – linking research, teaching and practice
harvey@pmpc.co.uk

13. This presentation was delivered at
an APM event
To find out more about upcoming
events please visit our website
www.apm.org.uk/events