Webinar – Embracing Uncertainty: Managing Complex Change

Project management is all about planning and control. Plan the work, and work the plan. The problem is, this only works well when you know exactly what you are producing, and can fully define the process of getting there. While this is possible for many projects, it is not possible for all.

This is not to say that uncertain projects don’t have an objective or outcome. We may know what we are trying to produce in general terms. We may even have a generalized sense of the steps required to get there. It’s in the specifics where we struggle. What are the exact steps that are required? What actual work will be done? How much effort will it take? How much will it cost? All of these questions, and more, are impossible to answer.

While we have endeavoured to develop strategies to manage uncertainty—including iterative and agile techniques—these are most relevant for a subset of projects. But how do we manage large-scale, complex, massively uncertain initiatives? What are the strategies that are available, and how can they be applied?

Ironically, project management practices have been leveraged elsewhere to support the management of uncertainty. Principles of project management, as well as structures and processes, have been adapted to manage in the face of rampant uncertainty. The opportunity may now exist for project management to re-learn some of its fundamental principles of adaptation, innovation and creativity.

In this webinar, Mark Mullaly begins to tackle the challenge of managing uncertainty, exploring what we know, what has been adapted and what may have been forgotten—and need to be relearnt—about how to manage effectively in solving complex, difficult and non-obvious problems. We’re certain you’ll want to join us.

As always, spread the word to those who might be interested in this webinar. You’re welcome to point entire associations, companies and small countries to these links. You would be doing us a favour if you did pass this note around a little bit.

This webinar series is a de Jager & Co and Interthink Consulting production.

Join us on 4 May 2015:

• 10:00 AM MST/12:00 PM EST – Click here to register
• 4:00 PM MST/6:00 PM EST – Click here to register