Complexity Revealed
When you understand the nature of what you are facing, you can setup for the challenges that will come
Complexity is not constant.
Every project is different, with its own personality.
Some projects benefit from detailed planning and close management, while others are best served by iterative and creative approaches. The challenges is to know the difference.
When the approach doesn’t match the complexity you the general sense that ‘this doesn’t feel right’. Sometimes the project is clearly in trouble.
The good news is that once we understand the nature of the complexity we are facing, we can get ahead of the issues, setup the practices, build the skills and reinforce the mindsets that ensure the best chance of success.
Complexity Revealed
The Complexity Revealed Workshop diagnoses your situation and sets you on a course for success.
To overcome complexity: 1) understand the nature of your situation, 2) agree it with those involved, and 3) align you ways of working with the complexity.
The Complexity Revealed Workshop is a diagnostic and one day session with your team that develops a map of the complexity that you face. It identifies the areas of focus and designs the project practices and ways of operating to match the situation and create the best chance of success.
Armed with this information you will have more confidence that the project is setup to achieve the required timelines and outcomes, and also ensure the best possible experience for the project team members.
If you want to arrange a Complexity Canvas workshop, or simply get some questions answered, click here to book a 20 minute conversation. Or send an email with any questions to info@kieranduck.com
You can get an initial insight by taking the quiz. Like a personality test for your project, this 5 minute assessment will give you insights into the nature of your project complexity
A bit more about the nature of Complexity
Project complexity is driven by four dimensions:
Certainty of OUTCOMES,
Specialised nature of the CAPABILITY required,
Amount of EXPERIENCE with this type of problem, and
The MOTIVATIONS of everyone involved.
When you understand where you stand on these dimensions it makes all the difference.
If you are delivering a project where the outcomes are clear and agreed, the capability is readily available, you are not relying on others and you have done this before, then standard project management approaches will be effective. However, if this is the first time delivering a project that requires skills you don’t have and there is still disagreement about what defines ‘done’, then the setup has to be focussed on learning rather than predictability.
When it comes to projects, one size does not fit all. If the project is straight forward, then just go hard with standard approaches. But do that when things are emergent you will end up in all sorts of trouble.
Alignment of approach to complexity not only increases the likelihood of achieving project budgets and timelines, it also reduces any negative impact on team members because they don’t spend time on activities that waste their energy - like updating project plans every week when the world continues to rapidly evolve.