Project Management, Denial, and the Death Zone

Additional Book Details

"...enjoyable and thought-provoking. Most literature in the area of risk management is designed to be technically rich and fulfills the needs of professionals and organizations. This book, on the other hand, is written for anyone who wants to be more aware of the reasons behind their success and failures regardless of their background. The advice is simple, realistic, and easy to apply. This book is a must read."

Sara Piracha, PMP, (from PM World Journal)

Project success rates haven't changed in 20 years. Learn why, and what you can do to improve them in your organization!

Using examples and lessons learned from the failures and achievements of Antarctic explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and Mount Everest expedition leader John Hunt and others, this captivating guide provides powerful insights into the causes of project and program failure and how to manage them to significantly improve project success rates.

Key Features:
--Explains the consistency of project failure, risk homeostasis, the principle of outcome-maximizing, the emerging concept of risk appetite, and provides real-world solutions that can be applied in organizations to improve project results
--Introduces new concepts such as the CORA triangle that focuses on achieving balance in the management of Capabilities, Outcomes, and Risk Appetite; and neuroleadership and its importance to complex, high-risk projects and managing change
--Defines the circle of project ethos and the narcissistic and organizational-structural factors in common between Everest climbers and major ICT-EB projects today, including the risks they can create and how to deal with them
--WAV offers multi-factor tables to test for high risk-propensity and Death Zone risk factors, Level-3 project maturity success factors, estimating a projects relative complexity, and assessing potential leaders to manage complex projects available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center at www.jrosspub.com

About the Author
Grant Avery, PMP, is a leading expert and international speaker on the subject of risk, quality assurance, business cases, and capability maturity models in project and program management. Mr. Avery has reviewed or overseen the quality, risk and success assurance of over $20 billion of high-risk projects and programs in New Zealand and Australian public and private sectors, including over 100 ICT-enabled business change projects. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Registered Consultant in Project and Program Management and P3M3 capability maturity assessments, with an MBA of Distinction from Victoria University, New Zealand.

Earlier in his career, Grant developed a unique perspective on the successful management of project and program risk in part from the knowledge and experience gained as Manager of New Zealands Scott Base where he was responsible for science support, search and rescue in Antarctica, and a team lead for the joint (USA-NZ) Antarctica search and rescue team (JASART). Prior to developing his own business, Grant was KPMG Director (Project Advisory), New Zealand.

Mr. Avery is now President of Outcome Insights, a specialized consultancy that provides success and quality assurance advice and reviews for large and high-risk projects and programs delivering ICT-enabled business change, and initiatives introducing new organizational capabilities. Mr. Avery, co-author of the current edition of the P3M3 maturity model, provides specialist assessment and capability improvement advice on the project, program, and portfolio management practices in organizations. He is an active member of PMI International and the New Zealand Risk Society. His organizations website is www.outcomeinsights.com.