Live Webinar – October 24th 2017 7:30 am – 8:30 am EDT
Live Webinar – October 24th 2017 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM BT
Activity Type: Education – Course or Training  1 Hour  1 PDU
Provider: Association for Project Management – APM

This webinar describes systems thinking concepts and methods, why it is important and how it can be beneficially applied to portfolio, programme & project management. 

Traditional top-down ‘divide-and-conquer’ approaches are often unsuccessful for dynamically complex problems containing non-linear component, inter-dependencies or for complex projects, where there is a diversity of views amongst stakeholders as to what the objectives should be because:

• It is not clear where the ‘Top’ is.
• It is not clear how the problem should be ‘divided’.

Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes and enables these types of problems to be addressed to identify where the key leverage points are. Systems thinking does not necessarily replace traditional top-down thinking, but can complement it by simplifying complex problems and making them easier to understand.

The webinar will describe what systems thinking is, why it is important and how it can be applied to portfolio, programme and project management to:

• Support identification and definition of the right portfolio, programme and/or project.
• Support implementing the portfolio, programme and/or project right.
• Maximise Outcomes/ Outputs and minimise unintended consequences.

Presenters:

David Cole BSc is a chartered engineer and a member of the IET and an experienced portfolio, programme, project manager / consultant.  David started his career as a systems design engineer with BAE Systems before moving into project management. In 1989 he managed a UK national research programme; then in 2001 he joined Atkins Management Consultants.  David holds a BSc in electrical and electronic engineering degrees and an MSc in computer science. David also sits on several national & international avionics standards committees remains professionally active with his membership of the APM and as an APM Systems Thinking SIG committee member.

Dr Michael Emes (LinkedIn profile) conducts teaching and research at UCL (University College London) in the areas of project management, technology management, strategy, risk management and decision-making in domains including transport, health and aerospace. He is a Programme Manager & lead trainer for the European Space Agency’s Project Manager Training Course and Programme Director for a new MSc at UCL in the Management of Complex Projects which brings systems thinking to project management. With 15+ years experience designing & delivering training on systems engineering and project management, he has been involved with the SEPM Joint Working Group and has been Co Chair of the APM Systems Thinking SIG since it’s inception. Michael is also Director of UCL Centre for Systems Engineering and Head of the Technology Management Group at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), and holds degrees degrees in Engineering, Economics & Management & a PhD in developing ultra-low temperature cooling systems for spacecraft.

Click to register for:
What Systems Thinking Can Offer Portfolio, Programme & Project Managers

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