Navigating Complexity: A Practice Guide

Faced with an increasingly volatile and uncertain world, most of today’s CEOs expect to deal with a growing level of operational complexity in the next five years. Many business leaders lack confidence that their organizations are equipped to effectively handle those increasing complexities.

Project Management Institute (PMI) originally addressed the subject of organizational complexity in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide). PMI identifies the types of complexities organizations must address and presents substantial research indicating that experienced project managers are more successful in completing highly complex projects.

With greater organizational complexities looming on the horizon, PMI has introduced Navigating Complexity: A Practice Guide. The definitive guide expands upon the principles, tools, and techniques presented in the PMBOK^® Guide and other foundational standards, providing a streamlined approach to understanding and navigating complexity. This groundbreaking guide fills a void, providing the first published reference to help project management professionals successfully mitigate complexities and accomplish their organizational goals.

Successful project managers learn to recognize complexity and adopt the flexible mind-set necessary to effectively cope with change and unpredictability. Navigating Complexity provides a relevant, applicable, and useful resource to help project management practitioners anticipate and comprehend complexity, and apply the appropriate tools and techniques for their organizations. In addition to foundational standards, the practice guide:

• Offers concrete examples of the best practices of organizations that successfully navigate complexity;

• Identifies skills and capabilities necessary to successfully mitigate complexity; and

• Defines the essential tools practitioners need to drive project and program success.