Program Number: C020-17022015
Leadership and Management of Complex Projects
Category: A
Activity Sponsor: PMINJ Chapter (C020)
PDUs: - 1.5
Leadership - 1.5
Strategic - 0.0
Technical - 0.0
Should modern organizations hire project and program
managers who are principally trained in traditional
(PMBOK-style) project management, or should they hire
managers who are trained in the technical subject matter of
their projects? In a world that is pursuing increasingly
complex projects, the answer is not always clear. The bigger
and more complex a project is, the more likely it is to need
managers who are both technical and project management
experts. But organizations lament that they often have
trouble identifying such “superstars” – they struggle to
find managers with all the right skills.
This PMINJ presentation will analyze the results of a
multi-year study exploring what it takes to be a “superstar”
project or program manager, and why organizations have
trouble finding or developing them. The findings of the
study may be surprising. They expose why first-generation
(traditional) project management approaches are sometimes
ineffective, and why second-generation (e.g. Agile, Extreme)
approaches provide only partial solutions. The research
reveals that professional project and program managers can
do more (much more!) to teach their organizations how to
manage complex projects and programs. It suggests that
organizations need…
Bio:
Rick Heaslip is author of “Managing Complex Projects and
Programs: How to Improve Leadership of Complex Initiatives
Using a Third-Generation Approach” which was released by
John Wiley and Sons in September, 2014. He also contributed
significantly to the Project Management Institute’s “The
Standard for Program Management – Third Edition” (published
in January, 2013). Rick’s professional expertise
in program management is well recognized. He has been
teaching Program Leadership Skills and Systems in
Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania
since 2006, and is a frequent speaker at professional
symposia focused on the advancement and integration of
organizational capabilities in program, project, portfolio,
and performance management. He is also Founder of
Programmatic Sciences, a consultancy that specializes in
helping organizations to improve their abilities to manage
complex projects and programs.
Rick received his B.A. with honors in Research Biochemistry
from the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in
Pharmacology from the Ohio State University. He completed
his postdoctoral training in the University of
Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
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