Deep Water Horizon Case: A Study in Complex Project Management

This essay provides an overview of complex project management, differentiating it from complicated project management and highlighting the inherent uncertainties and risks. It uses the Deep Water Horizon disaster as a primary example of complex project management failure, emphasizing the lack of risk management, poor communication, and slow response as contributing factors. The essay discusses the importance of organizational hierarchy, communication flow, and proactive risk mitigation strategies in successfully managing complex projects. It also touches upon other examples of failed complex projects, such as the DMV California revitalization project, and concludes by reiterating the need for careful consideration of key factors to mitigate risks in complex project management scenarios. Desklib offers a variety of solved assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
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Introduction
The complex project management is different from various project management aspects.
The main feature of the complex project is that the management of the project has the handle the
different complexity of the project, there is slight difference between the project which is
complex and the project which is complicated (Cicmil et al.,2017). The objective of the paper is
to discuss various aspects of complex project management along with the examples of different
complex project management along with theories ideas and the properties regarding this subject.
There are certain vulnerabilities and the flaws those can be occurred during the managing of the
complex projects (Cicmil et al.,2017). The consequences of those flaws have been discussed in
this paper.
Discussion
The management of the complex project is the management technique where level of
complexity is greater compared to the traditional projects. There is slight difference between
complicated project and the complex project. In case of projects which are complicated many
modules are inter related with each other in a complex manner (Sridarran, Keraminiyage &
Herszon, 2017). The outcome of the modules may be dependent on the other modules of the
project. However, the outcome of the project is known to the project developer. In case of
complex project, the there is some uncertainty present in the outcome of the project. The
management of the complex project is crucial for this reason (Cooke-Davies, 2017). The
example of the Deep Water Horizon can be mentioned in this case. The Deep Water Horizon was
oil tank operated by the British Petroleum. The managing of the oil refinery was a complex
think. There was some problem regarding the coating is the cement. However, this issue was

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known to the engineers presented at the spot (Ahern, Leavy & Byrne, 2014). There was the lack
of communication between the engineers and the higher management. The engineers did not
make the higher authority aware about the condition of the cement base. There was no action
taken regarding this (Cicmil et al.,2017). During the investigation process it has been found out
that the main cause of the incident was the leak in the cement base.
In the complex project management there are lots of risks associated with project. The
uncertainty involved in the outcome of the project needs the evaluation of the risks in the project
development in a proper way. There was the lack of concern regarding the security in the Deep
Water Horizon case (Remington, 2016). The contractors and the engineers present in the site
were aware about the leak in the base of the cement; however they did not inform the matter to
management. This indicates the lack of communication. Apart from that the engineers were not
taken the proper action to repair the cement base. This indicates the absence of proper risk
management.
From the example of the Deep Water horizon case it can be said that there are certain
factors those are needed to be considered during the management of the complex project. The
negligence of these factors makes the dangerous project a complex project (Floricel, Piperca &
Tee,2018). One of the main factors in managing the complex project is maintaining the hierarchy
of the organization and maintaining the flow of the communication (Ramasesh &
Browning,2014). The hierarchy and the flow of the communication will help the employees to let
the management know their problems regarding the working condition. Apart from that the
organization is needed to be taken proper risk management planning and mitigation plan. This
can be achieved through the usage of the various tools and techniques (Ramasesh &
Browning,2014). The work break down structure can be prepared to evaluate the risks associated

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with every modules of the project development. Another attribute needed for the management of
the complex projects is the control and the fast response (Ahern, Leavy & Byrne, 2014). The
control of the situation and the taking the necessary steps promptly in case of the Deep Water
horizon was not taken.
The incident of the Deep Water Horizon is an example of the failure of the complex
project management (Ramasesh & Browning,2014). There are other examples of the failure of
the complex project. Another example of this type is the failure of the revitalization of the
driver’s license and registration of DMV California. The complexity of the project comes from
the different factors. One of the main factors is the uncertainty about the outcome of the project
(Ahern, Leavy & Byrne, 2014). Apart from that the technical challenges and management
challenges are the main hurdles in managing the complex project. It has been seen that in the
failed complex project , the crucial factors regarding the management of the complex project are
missing.
There are certain challenges in the application of the complex project management. There
are certain factors those are not present in the traditional project management (Ramasesh &
Browning,2014). Following the project life cycle can help the traditional project to deliver the
right outcome. However, in case of managing the complex project, there are certain factors
needed to be concerned. The modification of the project can be done through the feedback
system (Svejvig & Andersen, 2015). Taking of the feedback is the part of the project
management methodology. The selection of the project management methodology depends on
the type and complexity of the project.
Conclusion

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The aspects of the complex project management have been discussed in this paper. The
difference between the complexity of the project and the complicated project has been described
in this context. The failure of the complex project management occurs due to the lack of the risk
management and the absence of the quick responses to mitigate the risks. The example of the
Deep Water Horizon is the significant example of the failure of the complex project. In this
context failure of other complex project has been mentioned. It can be said that concern
regarding factors of the complex project management will be helpful to mitigate the risks
associates with the complex project management.

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References
Ahern, T., Leavy, B., & Byrne, P. J. (2014). Complex project management as complex problem
solving: A distributed knowledge management perspective. International Journal of
Project Management, 32(8), 1371-1381.
Cicmil, S., Cooke-Davies, T., Crawford, L., & Richardson, K. (2017, April). Exploring the
complexity of projects: Implications of complexity theory for project management
practice. Project Management Institute.
Cooke-Davies, T. (2017). Managing Strategic Initiatives.
Floricel, S., Piperca, S., & Tee, R. (2018). Strategies for Managing the Structural and Dynamic
Consequences of Project Complexity. Complexity, 2018.
Ramasesh, R. V., & Browning, T. R. (2014). A conceptual framework for tackling knowable
unknown unknowns in project management. Journal of Operations Management, 32(4),
190-204.
Remington, K. (2016). Leading complex projects. Routledge.
Sridarran, P., Keraminiyage, K., & Herszon, L. (2017). Improving the cost estimates of complex
projects in the project-based industries. Built Environment Project and Asset
Management, 7(2), 173-184.

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Svejvig, P., & Andersen, P. (2015). Rethinking project management: A structured literature
review with a critical look at the brave new world. International Journal of Project
Management, 33(2), 278-290.