Leading Complex Projects

CHAPTER 1GETTING GROUNDED

There are literally thousands of books about project management and how it should be done for all manner of projects, large and small. But, ironically, there are almost no books about project managers, the people who actually organize and lead projects and get the work done. In this book we explore the makeup of a particular subset of project managers: those who lead major complex projects for the sponsors (owners) of the projects.¹ The leaders of large complex projects usually carry the title of project director rather than project manager. We will use that term or simply project leader to differentiate them from the managers of simpler projects or of the subprojects that usually accompany a large, complex capital venture.

Management is all about the efficient organization of tasks in a project, making rational assignments to team members and contractors based on their strengths, monitoring performance of individuals and teams, and getting work accomplished. All projects require management or they will fail. But not all projects require leadership.

Leadership is rather different from management even if exercised by the same person. Leadership is all about inducing people to cooperate in pursuing a goal (a vision if you prefer) that the leader has articulated. The notion of leadership implies followership. The notion of followership implies a degree of volition. We contend that smaller, simpler projects can usually be managed without much true leadership, ...