Issues surrounding business complexity plague organizations throughout the world. This situation is particularly true of the numerous complex projects and programs upon which organizations embark on a regular basis. Current project management processes and standards are based on Newtonian/Cartesian principles, such as linearity, reductionism, and single source problem causation. However, complex projects exhibit both Newtonian/Cartesian characteristics and complex systems characteristics, such as emergence, self-organization, non-linearity, non-reductionism, and multi-source problem causation. To conduct successful projects, complementary ways of approaching projects are required, and new competencies for those who manage projects and for those on project teams are required as well. There are a number of books available to help project managers and teams address the issue of systems behavior. However, there are none that approach complex projects from a neuroscience-based approach to human behavior and ambiguity. This book does exactly that in order to reduce project complexity and thereby increase the probability of project success. Cognitive Readiness in Project Teams looks to the concept of cognitive readiness (CR), first developed by the United States Department of Defense to better prepare and manage teams of individuals in complex battlefield situations. Its intent is to make project managers and teams more focused, responsive, resilient and adaptive through self-mastery and the mastering of interpersonal relationships. It introduces a CR framework for project managers and teams. This framework has neuroscience fundamentals and theorems as the foundation for the three pillars of CR: mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence. The book is a compendium of chapters written by renowned authors in the fields of project management, neuroscience, mindfulness, and emotional and social intelligence.

Teaching and Measuring Cognitive Readiness presents theoretical and empirical findings regarding cognitive readiness and assessments of their impact on adult learning. The term readiness is used in assessing student preparation for K-12 schools, while in the military and in industry, "readiness" denotes preparation to be effective in performing a mission or a job. Cognitive Readiness is viewed through a Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes (KSA) lens. Teaching and Measuring Cognitive Readiness deals with (a) the primacy of cognitive readiness as attributes or individual difference variables; (b) the need for cognitive readiness instructional and assessment strategies; (c) the need to integrate assessment into cognitive readiness training; (d) the need for theory-driven evaluation studies to increase knowledge and efficacy in teaching cognitive readiness; and (e) the need for a solid psychometric approach to the use of cognitive readiness assessments.

Projects are risky undertakings, and risk management is recognised as an integral part of managing the project. Managing Risk in Projects places risk management in its proper context in the world of project management and beyond, emphasising the central concepts essential to understanding why and how risk management matters, and presenting proven practical approaches to addressing risk in any project. The risk management world has changed significantly since the first edition, with advances in risk management practice reflected by changes in international standards and guidelines, as well as significant developments in their implementation. This second edition reflects these changes, and has been completely updated to address progress in the practical application of risk management to projects. Two new chapters have been added, the first discussing how to manage risk in complex projects, and the second considering the role and influence of risk leaders outside the project arena in setting the context and environment for successful risk management. New material also addresses enterprise risk management and risky decision-making. Throughout, the book offers a concise description of current best practice in project risk management whilst introducing the latest developments, to enable project managers, project sponsors and others responsible for managing risk on projects to do just that – effectively.

As general, this book is a collection of the most recent, quality research papers regarding applications of Artificial Intelligence and Applied Mathematics for engineering problems. The papers included in the book were accepted and presented in the 4th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applied Mathematics in Engineering (ICAIAME 2022), which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Technical University) between May 20 and 22, 2022. Objective of the book content is to inform the international audience about the cutting-edge, effective developments and improvements in different engineering fields. As a collection of the ICAIAME 2022 event, the book gives consideration for the results by especially intelligent system formations and the associated applications. The target audience of the book is international researchers, degree students, practitioners from industry, and experts from different engineering disciplines.

This volume brings together selected and extended papers representative of work presented at the 8th IPMA Research Conference, which was held online between 9th and 11th September 2020. It explores the topics of project, programme and portfolio management, and self-organizing in and through projects. Offering international and multidisciplinary perspectives, this book answers questions such as: What is the impact of self-organization on organizational structures, processes, cultures and leadership? How can we define the transformative power of self-organization? What is the motivation of individuals to perform activities, to engage with others and organizations in order to get things done? Which kinds of leadership best support self-organizing in projects? What have disciplines like natural science, psychology, philosophy, sociology and management to offer in this respect? What are the cultural limitations and potentials regarding self-organization in projects and how do we deal with them? Research on Project, Programme and Portfolio Management is a valuable resource for all researchers and project management professionals interested in autonomous working and self-organizing.

This is a collection of essays from key researchers in the field of project management who describe what they feel are the most impactful findings from research. In the challenging and competitive world of project management, project managers need all the insight they can get. Leading researchers share what they believe are the most important findings from the research being done today. These cover pressing topics confronting project managers, including hybrid methodologies, schedule overruns, schedule estimation, project efficiency, and managing local stakeholders. Highlights include the following: Jeff Pinto and Kate Davis explore the “Normalization of Deviance” (NoD) phenomenon within various organizational settings, focusing on projects. NoD involves the gradual acceptance of deviant practices, diverging from established norms, and often leading to detrimental outcomes. Francesco Di Maddaloni investigates how local communities’ stakeholders are perceived, identified, and categorized by project managers in major public infrastructure and construction projects (MPIC). His chapter helps project managers to have a better understanding of a more inclusive and holistic approach to engage with a broader range of stakeholders. Lavagnon Ika, Peter Love, and Jeff Pinto suggest that error and bias combine to exact a toll on major projects, offer theoretical insights, and outline practical recommendations for project managers. Jonas Söderlund offers managerial guidelines for leveraging deadlines as powerful tools for generating project success. Pedro M. Serrado looks at empirical studies that link planning quality to project success, emphasizing its importance. He also discusses the downsides of excessive planning, particularly in dynamic environments and research and development projects.

The primary cause of many project failures is that responsible executives, because of their lack of knowledge in project management, fail to demand that their managers and staff properly utilize the well-proven best practices, processes, systems, and tools that are now available in this field. This book remedies this situation by providing executives at all levels with the understanding and knowledge needed to best take advantage of the power of effective project management and thereby lead and manage innovations within their enterprise. In Leading and Managing Innovation: What Every Executive Team Must Know about Project, Program, and Portfolio Management, Second Edition, the authors present concise descriptions of The key concepts underlying project and program management The important characteristics of projects and programs How projects and programs are best governed and managed How to determine if the desired benefits have actually been achieved The book presents a list of 31 reasonable demands that executives can and must place on their staff members to ensure excellence in the way their programs and projects are created, selected for funding, planned, and executed. Placing these demands communicates to the entire enterprise that top management understands what it takes to achieve the best performance possible and fully supports the continuous improvement needed to ensure continued success. Leading and Managing Innovation explains how to measure the project management maturity level of an enterprise, benchmark against competitors, and identify where project management improvements are required. It discusses the many ways that an enterprise can derive substantial success and competitive advantage from increasing its project management maturity level. A helpful quick reference summary of all of the book’s key information is included in the final chapter. Armed with this information, you will be well-qualified to give excellent direction to your managers and staff to ensure that your vital capability in the field of project management—and how you manage innovation—is equal to or better than that of your competitors.