October 10, 2009 – Kathleen B. Hass, author Managing Complex Projects: A New Model has been awarded the Project Management Institute (PMI^®) David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award for her progression of international project management practices.

The PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award recognizes an author for advancing the project management knowledge, practices, procedures, concepts or techniques that demonstrate the value of using project management.  The publication may be on historical, current or future endeavors. 

As needs change and challenges grow, project management continues to evolve to meet 21^st century demands. In Managing Complex Projects: A New Model, a groundbreaking study of complex project management, Ms. Hass addresses what it takes for an organization to thrive, indeed to survive, in an environment rife with uncertainty. Ms. Hass offers a method for dramatically improving the performance of today’s large-scale projects. She shows how complexity thinking can complement conventional project management approaches to enable project managers and leadership teams to manage large-scale initiatives successfully.

Ms. Hass has developed a Project Complexity Model that empowers project decision-makers to assess a project’s various complexity dimensions, determine the project’s complexity profile, and apply appropriate techniques to maximize successful results. By applying a simple project complexity formula, the project manager can tailor an approach that takes into account the project’s dynamic features, such as team composition and performance; the urgency and flexibility of cost, time, and scope; strategic importance and political implications; and levels of organizational and commercial change.

The simplicity of the model is what makes it so artful—and useful. The Project Complexity Model provides a framework for diagnosing complexity on a wide range of projects. Depending on the level of complexity of a particular project, the reader is guided through a straightforward process designed to ensure that the most suitable project leader is selected and the most appropriate project cycle is used. Ms. Hass then turns to a project’s complexity dimensions, offering practical suggestions for adopting a management approach that responds to each successfully. She addresses the complexity dimensions of large, long-duration projects; large, dispersed, culturally diverse project teams; highly innovative, urgent projects; ambiguous business problems, opportunities, and solutions; projects with poorly understood, volatile requirements; high-visibility strategic projects; large-scale change initiatives; projects with significant risks, dependencies, and external constraints; and projects with a high level of IT complexity.

Throughout the book Ms. Hass draws on the ideas of thought leaders in the field of project management who are grappling with the new challenges that complex projects are increasingly being called on to address. She explores the best current thinking about managing projects; she then builds on that foundation by developing her own framework for taking the management of complex projects to the next level of thinking and accomplishment. She does it all from the perspective of a seasoned project manager who understands global 21^st century demands and the practical, day-to-day challenges that project managers face in meeting those demands. 

“The PMI Awards Program recognizes excellence in project management across a broad array of categories for organizations, individuals, community advancement and our chapters and their volunteers,” said Gregory Balestrero, president and CEO of PMI.  “Winning this award is a testament to the value project management brings to our varied stakeholders.”

The PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award was presented on 10 October during the PMI Awards Ceremony at PMI^® Global Congress 2009—North America in Orlando, Fla.

About Project Management Institute (PMI)

The world’s leading project management organization, PMI shares knowledge with nearly 500,000 members and credential holders in 185+ countries. Since its founding 40 years ago, PMI has impacted more than one million practitioners, businesses, governments, students and training organizations. Today, PMI’s products and services range from world-class standards for project, program and portfolio management to five professional credentials, including the gold standard Project Management Professional (PMP)^®. PMI’s exclusive Global Corporate Council and European Corporate Networking Group engage large multinationals and government organizations in endorsing the value of project management. The only project management association with an established academic research program, PMI has invested more than US$14 million in support of dozens of research projects since 1997. Learn more at PMI.org.

About the Author

Kathleen B. (Kitty) Hass, PMP is the President and Principal Consultant for Kathleen Hass & Associates, Inc., a practice that specialized in building mature business practices including: strategy execution, project management and business analysis. Kitty also serves on the board of directors and the senior leadership team for IIBA, International Institute of Business Analysis.

Kitty is a prominent presenter at industry conferences, author and lecturer.  Her expertise includes BA/PM organizational maturity assessments and BA/PM competency and workforce evaluations; IT strategic planning; implementing and managing PMOs, BACOEs, and portfolio management processes; leading technology and software-intensive projects; executive coaching, building and leading strategic project teams, and managing large complex programs.  Ms. Hass has over 25 years experience providing professional services to Federal agencies, the intelligence community, and various Fortune 500 companies.  In addition to the PMP, certifications include: SEI CMM appraiser, Baldrige National Quality Program examiner, and Zenger-Miller facilitator. 

In addition to this award-winning book, she has authored numerous white papers and articles on leading edge business practices, the Business Analysis Essential Library series, and contributed to The 77 Deadly Sins of Project Management.  Feel free to contact Kitty for information about her services, including a cutting edge Complex Project Management Interactive Workshop based on this award-winning book.  Kitty can be reached at: 303.663.8655, kittyhass@comcast.net, and at her Website, www.kathleenhass.com.