Description: If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got, and if what you've always got isn't good enough, you need to do something else. Second Order Project Management will help alleviate the frustration that every member of the profession has experienced when trying to gain approval for investment in process improvement from sponsors. Illustrated by extracts from a series of interviews with an international group of very senior managers responsible for managing highly complex projects, Michael Cavanagh explains there is nothing magical, or even complicated, about Second Order Project Management.
Review Quotes: 'I liked the practical views / examples of the author as well as his ability to take a difficult subject and tackle it in this short book...and I came away with a few new nuggets of knowledge. I would recommend this to people interested in project management and projects in general. The idea of complex projects is right on the mark and what we do with this information is up to the individual reader. It is a book that will allow you to think differently, and give you some ideas on how to approach project management from a different perspective.' Michael O'Conner, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, USA 'This book is worth a read if you're facing a new more complex challenge than you are used to or you want to improve the outcomes of your projects. As the author says, doing things the same way will produce the same results, so go on be brave, open your mind and try something different.' Duncan Chappell, PMP, President PMI UK Chapter 'This is a concise, easy to read, almost conversational book, which will make you think about how you manage a complex project. The author gives the reader insights not only from his 40 year career... but latterly his work on experiential learning.' Project Management Institute, UK Chapter 'An excellent chapter on turning lessons identified into lessons learned, and I am going to recommend this book to some of my fellow project managers on the strength of that chapter alone' Project magazine, June 2012 'The idea of why projects are so complex is broken down into the author's ideas, and he suggests what drivers make up the project's complexity. The author is very passionate about project management and making projects less complex...I would recommend this to people interested in project management and projects in general...The idea of complex projects is right on the mark and what we do with this information is up to the individual reader. It is a book that will allow you to think