Evaluating Risk in Complex Project Management and Development

This essay delves into the intricacies of complex project management, highlighting the distinctions between complex and complicated projects. It emphasizes the critical role of risk evaluation and mitigation in ensuring project success, drawing lessons from failures like the Deepwater Horizon incident, which underscored the importance of communication and risk management planning. The essay further explores the significance of selecting appropriate project development methodologies and utilizing tools like MS Project and work breakdown structures to analyze project risks effectively. Ultimately, it concludes that robust risk management, coupled with effective communication strategies, is essential for achieving desired outcomes in complex projects. Desklib offers this essay and many other solved assignments for students.

Running head: MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
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1MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
Introduction
The management of the complex project is somehow different from the managing of the
traditional project. There are certain attributes in the complex project management those are
needed to be considered during the development of the project (Rodriguez-r et al.,2015). The
main objective of this paper is to evaluate different aspects of the complex project management
and the identification of the risks in the management of the project. The identification of the risks
will help to mitigate the possible risks in the management of the complex project.
Discussion
The complex project management is different from the traditional project management.
There is a difference between the complex project and the complicated project. In the complicate
project the project may contain different modules and the modules can be inter related with each
other in a certain way. However, the outcome of this type of the project is known (Duffield &
Whitty, 2015). In case of complex project management the outcome of the project is uncertain.
The uncertainty of the complex project management makes the managing of the complex project
to consider different factors.
Evaluation of the risks associated with the complex project are needed to be evaluated
during the development of the complex project. In this case, the failure of the complex project
regarding Deep Water Horizon can be considered. The Deep Water Horizon was won by BP.
The investigation regarding the accident of the Deep Water Horizon concluded that the accident
was happened because of the leak in the base of the cement (Mager et al.,2014). The engineers at
the site were aware about the leak. However, they did not inform the issue to the higher authority
(Cooke-Davies, 2011). This indicates the mismanagement of the management and the lack of

2MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
communication between the employees and the management. Apart from that the Deep Water
Horizon shows the lack of quick control and response technique and the absence of the risk
management planning.
From the example of the Deep Water Horizon it can be said that the proper risk
management planning is needed to be present in case of management of the complex project.
Apart from that the flow of communication is needed to be present so that the employees can
communicate with the management whenever it is needed (Cooke-Davies, 2011). The
identification of the risk will help to mitigate the accidents and will help the project to deliver the
expected outcome.
Example of the one of the failed complex project due to the lack proper planning and the
risk management is Deep Water Horizon. Another example of the complex project management
is failure of the revitalization of the driver’s license of DMV California (Shultz et al.,2015). It
has been seen that there are other factors apart from the management of the risk in order manage
the complex project (Rodriguez-r et al.,2015). The success of the project is dependent on the
selection of the project development methodology and the proper analysis of the requirements.
There are different steps which can be beneficial for the proper development of the
complex project. Different stages of the development life cycle is needed to be followed so that
that the designing and the analysis of the requirement is done in a proper way (Van Weele,
2014). The selection of the project management methodology is needed to be done in such a way
that the development phase of the project can adopt any change during the development phase
(Rodriguez-r et al.,2015). Apart from that using of the different project management tools like
MS Project and using the work break down structure will help to analysis the risks on the project

3MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLEX PROJECT
in a proper way. The work break down structure will help to identify the associated risks with
every part of the project modules.
Conclusion
The managing of the complex project management has been described in this paper. It
can be said that during the development of the project the difference between the complex
project and complicated project is needed to be concerned. Apart from that proper planning of
the risk and the mitigation of the risks are needed to be present in the development of the
complex project management. Absence of all these factors will lead to the failure of the complex
project. In this context the example of the Deep Water Horizon has been taken. It can be
concluded from the above discussion that the implementation of the proper risk management
planning and the proper communication planning will help the complex project to deliver the
right outcome.

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References
Cooke-Davies, T. (2011, August). Aspects of complexity: Managing projects in a complex
world. Project Management Institute.
Duffield, S., & Whitty, S. J. (2015). Developing a systemic lessons learned knowledge model for
organisational learning through projects. International journal of project
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Mager, E. M., Esbaugh, A. J., Stieglitz, J. D., Hoenig, R., Bodinier, C., Incardona, J. P., ... &
Grosell, M. (2014). Acute embryonic or juvenile exposure to Deepwater Horizon crude
oil impairs the swimming performance of mahi-mahi (Coryphaena
hippurus). Environmental science & technology, 48(12), 7053-7061.
Rodriguez-r, L. M., Overholt, W. A., Hagan, C., Huettel, M., Kostka, J. E., & Konstantinidis, K.
T. (2015). Microbial community successional patterns in beach sands impacted by the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The ISME journal.
Shultz, J. M., Walsh, L., Garfin, D. R., Wilson, F. E., & Neria, Y. (2015). The 2010 Deepwater
Horizon oil spill: the trauma signature of an ecological disaster. The journal of
behavioral health services & research, 42(1), 58-76.
Van Weele, A. (2014). International contracting: Contract management in complex construction
projects. World Scientific.