# Project Management: Mastering Complexity

**Source**: https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/project-management-mastering-complexity/
**Parent**: https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/our-courses/business-and-management/project-management/

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- Identify complexity and its elements.
- Perform a project complexity assessment.
- Develop a complexity footprint.
- Adapt your management processes to fit the complexities of your project.
- Master project complexity.

Free

- Type
  Course
- Location
  Online
- Pacing
  Instructor-paced
- Length

  For instructor paced courses this is the length of the course.

  For self-paced courses this is the length of the course if you spend the amount of time per week as specified. You're free to go faster or slower as you see fit.

  5 Weeks
- Effort
  4 - 6 Hours per week

[Enroll on edX](https://www.edx.org/learn/project-management/delft-university-of-technology-project-management-mastering-complexity)

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- [Engineering Project Management: Mastering Project Complexity](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/engineering-project-management-mastering-project-complexity/)

- [Marcel Hertogh](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/instructors/marcel-hertogh/)
- [Marian Bosch-Rekveldt](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/instructors/marian-bosch-rekveldt/)

- Overview

  **Develop the project management skills required to handle complexity in engineering, infrastructure and other large projects.**

  Underestimating project complexity is widely accepted as one of the major causes of project failure. International studies reveal that a staggering 40% of projects fail to deliver on their promises. *(1)*

  As with most external factors, many of the causes and consequences of complexity are difficult to avoid or control. Therefore, attempts to overcome these challenges by simply trying to reduce their causes is not enough.

  Conventional project management practices often overlook the nuanced uncertainties inherent in engineering and infrastructure projects, usually linked to their length and scale. This is further exacerbated by the constantly changing technological and societal landscape.

  In this course, you will learn our approach to mastering complexity, focused on front-end development and teamwork as catalysts for success. This will help you develop the skills you need to make timely actions to tackle complexities and improve your chances of project success.

  **Our hands-on approach**\
  Project success starts with recognizing the main drivers of complexity, which can be highly subjective and highly dynamic. In this course, you will learn to identify what makes a project complex and how to perform a complexity assessment.

  Examining the elements of a project – such as interfaces, stakeholders, cultures, environment, technology, etc. – and their intricate interactions is key to mastering complexity.

  You will analyze these elements in the context of your own project. Then, based on our complexity framework, you will identify the complexity footprint of your project and use it to adapt your management processes. With personalized guidance and feedback from our world-class instructors, you will learn how to recognize what competencies you need to develop project plans, how to adapt your management style accordingly, thus not only improving project performance but also enhancing your own decision-making capacity.

  “Being aware of complexity and embracing it might be the way forward” – Associate Professor Marian Bosch-Rekveldt

  **New cases and activities**\
  The demands of project management in engineering are continually evolving. In response to this, several enhancements have been made to this course, and new examples are presented not only to enhance your project management skills but also to empower you so that you can thrive in complex project environments.

  **Our project management courses**\
  This course is part of our ***Engineering Project Management*** series. It is an ideal course for learners who want to build on the basic knowledge gained in the course [Project Management of Engineering Projects: Preparing for Success](https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/project-management-of-engineering-projects-preparing-for-success/) and want to better navigate the complex challenges posed by engineering and other large projects. This series also offers a complementary course on [Project Finance: Funding Projects Successfully](https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/project-finance-funding-projects-successfully/).

  *(1) Merrow, 2010*
- Details

  ##### Course syllabus

  **Module 1: Understanding project complexity**\
  This module introduces the program with some questions to help you understand project complexity. What does it entail? What is it comprised of? What are the main models of complexity? What is the (subjective) nature of complexity?

  **Module 2: Project complexity assessment**\
  You will create a complexity footprint for your own project. You will use the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework as a means to grasp project complexity. There will be an emphasis on identifying, assessing and understanding project complexity at the earliest possible stages.

  **Module 3: Managing project complexity**\
  Now that you are aware of the project’s complexity, we will discuss how to manage the particular complexities faced. We will provide a palette of different management approaches. You will compare these approaches with the way your own project has been managed.

  **Module 4: Mastering complexity**\
  And finally, we will discuss how to adjust your management approach to the specific complexities experienced (or expected) and how to maximize the value of your project. This is not about decreasing complexity but rather dealing with complexity and embracing it to fully realize the project’s potential. One size does not fit all!

  **Module 5: Wrap-up and peer review**\
  During the last module of the course you will have time to reflect on the course and you will review your peers’ work.
- Qualifications

  ##### Chartered Engineering Competences

  All our online courses and programs have been matched to the competences determined by [KIVI’s Competence Structure](https://charteredengineer.nl/competence-structure/), a common frame of reference for everyone, across all disciplines, levels and roles.

  These competences apply to this course:

  - A1: Extend your theoretical knowledge of new and advancing technologies.
  - B1: Identify potential projects and opportunities.
  - C1: Plan for effective project implementation.
  - D1: Identify all stakeholders and communicate with others at all levels.
- Admission

  This is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that runs on edX.

  ##### Prerequisites:

  Together with our course on Project Finance, this course builds on the basic project management knowledge and capabilities acquired from our MOOC [Project Management of Engineering Projects: Preparing for Success](https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/project-management-of-engineering-projects-preparing-for-success/). To fully benefit from the Mastering Complexity course, this MOOC and/or any other equivalent knowledge on this subject is regarded as prerequisite.

- Course format: MOOC

  **This course is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)**. Our MOOCs are delivered on edX.org and are open to all. They include video lectures, readings, assignments, and community discussions. Content is free, with optional certificates and additional exercises available for a fee.

## What our learners say about us

- > Analysing my own project as a case study with personal guidance and feedback from the professors.
  >
  >
  > Jan Menno Nap - The Netherlands

  [Read the full story](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/learner-stories/jan-menno-nap/)

[Project Management of Engineering Projects: Preparing for Success](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/project-management-of-engineering-projects-preparing-for-success/) 

4 - 6 Hours per week

Free

 

[Project Finance: Funding Projects Successfully](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/project-finance-funding-projects-successfully/) 

4 - 6 Hours per week

Free

 

[Decision Making Under Uncertainty: Introduction to Structured Expert Judgment](https://learningforlife.tudelft.nl/decision-making-under-uncertainty-introduction-to-structured-expert-judgment/) 

4 - 6 Hours per week

Free