LEADING COMPLEX

PROJECTS
OVERVIEW

Completing projects on time, on budget Success with critical projects hinges on

and on specification is critical to developing an understanding of the types
business success. Whereas projects are of complexities you’re likely to encounter
our means to execute strategies and within the projects, from their structure
react to changes in the competitive and scope to the changing nature of the
landscape, the capability to carry out project, to the power and political
project management effectively is no dynamics within the project team and in
longer an option. wider stakeholder communities.

Project planning and execution is often UC Berkeley Executive Education's

accompanied by challenges and Leading Complex Projects program was
setbacks. Research shows that around created to help you strengthen your
1 in every 4 projects fails and most understanding of these complexities and
organizations can’t cope with uncertainty learn to lead through them to drive
and complexity. One of the reasons for successful outcomes.
this low rate of success is the lack of
adoption of project management
frameworks and tools.

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WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
This program was designed to help mid- to senior-level professionals across
industries drive their projects to success. It is ideal for:

• C-suite executives and senior managers tasked with leading organization-wide

projects

• Project managers and program managers looking to take on more complex

projects

• Mid- to senior-level managers in technology involved in complex product

development

• Entrepreneurs and consultants looking to improve the success of their projects

• Other professionals interested in pairing their practical experience with proven

frameworks and tools for project management and leadership

KEY TAKEAWAYS
As a participant in this 8-week online program, you will:

Apply tools, frameworks and strategies to manage traditional and complex

projects

Evaluate and monitor performance in complex projects to achieve business

objectives

Implement strategic project planning and risk management methodologies

to navigate uncertainty and change

Leverage adaptive leadership in complex projects to drive innovation

Build cohesive teams to improve performance and decision making in

complex projects
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 YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
In addition to the practical knowledge that you’ll gain from the video lectures,
you’ll learn from live webinars with faculty, case studies, notable guest speakers,
peer discussions, assignments, interactive exercises, and other learning
activities. At the end of the online program, you will complete a capstone project,
creating a strategy to navigate the structural, emergent and sociopolitical
complexities of your project. Program leaders will provide guidance and
personalized feedback, making this a highly effective use of your time.

MODULE 8:
LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
MODULE 7:
SOCIOPOLITICAL MODULE 1:
COMPLEXITIES:
FROM TRADITIONAL TO
NAVIGATING POWER,
COMPLEX PROJECTS:
POLITICS AND PEOPLE
UNDERSTANDING
COMPLEXITIES

MODULE 6:
MODULE 2:
EMERGENT
COMPLEXITIES: STRATEGIC PROJECT
RISK MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT AND
COMPLEXITY
MAPPING

MODULE 3:
MODULE 5: STRUCTURAL
EMERGENT COMPLEXITIES: COMPLEXITIES:
PLANNING, MONITORING MODULE 4: RESPONDING TO THE
AND CONTROLLING STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITIES: CHALLENGES OF SCALE
PROJECTS TIME AND RESOURCE AND PACE
ALLOCATION

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PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

Videos Reflections Polls Discussions

Try-it Crowd-sourced Quizzes Assignments

activities activities

Peer Reviews Capstone Case Studies Notable Guest

Speakers

Live Sessions Live Office Demonstrations Simulations

Hours

LIVE NETWORKING
OPPORTUNITY HAPPY HOUR

A unique live opportunity for you to interact with one another and build your
professional network! Participants can interact with each other, and share personal
backgrounds and thoughts on guided questions in an informal and fun way.

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PROGRAM MODULES
Over the course of eight weeks, Leading Complex Projects systematic approach will
better equip you to compete in a rapidly evolving world through these modules:

Module 1
From Traditional to Complex Projects: Understanding Complexities

• What makes projects complex

• How chaos and complexity affect projects
• Applications of complexity theory to project management

Module 2
Strategic Project Management and Complexity Mapping

• Aligning projects to strategic goals and different future scenarios

• Using checklist models and weighted scoring models to select and
prioritize projects
• Incorporating complexity mindset into projects
• Mapping the project complexity: independent, moderately complex,
highly complex
• Three types of project complexity: structural, emergent and sociopolitical
complexities

Module 3
Structural Complexities: Responding to the Challenges of Scale and Pace

• 5 steps to define a project

• The importance of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in identifying project
deliverables
• Applications in structural complex projects: Large, long-duration projects
• Applications in structural complex projects: Highly innovative, urgent projects
• How to lead in both planned and unplanned urgent projects

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Module 4
Structural Complexities: Time and Resource Allocation

• Demonstrating how project activities are connected and the time estimates to
complete them with the Project Network
• Assigning resources and managing scheduling with the Integrated Project
Schedule
• Managing large, complex projects with tools including The Convergence Plan,
The Program Tool, and The Program Directorate

Module 5
Emergent Complexities: Planning, Monitoring and Controlling Projects

• Project management methodologies: traditional and adaptive

• Iterative and adaptive methodologies, including Incremental Delivery model,
Agile Methodology, Scrum Process, and Extreme Project Management
• How to apply agile methods to complex projects
• Performance evaluation, including Earned Value Analysis, Monitoring Time
Performance using Gantt Charts, Control Charts and Status Reports; and
Evaluating Performance in Large, Dispersed, Multicultural Teams
• Using Complexity to Deal with Troubled Projects

Module 6
Emergent Complexities: Risk Management

• Importance and benefits of risk management

• 4 steps in the risk management process: risk identification, risk assessment,
risk response development, and risk response control
• Qualitative and quantitative risk assessment, including Risk Severity Matrix
and FMEA (qualitative) and PERT and Monte Carlo simulation
(quantitative/statistical analysis)
• How to embrace risk management, and deal with complex projects with a
large number of dependencies and external factors

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Module 7
Sociopolitical Complexities: Navigating Power, Politics and People

• Stakeholders management
• Creating high performing teams
• Building successful virtual teams
• Change management, navigating change and uncertainty

Module 8
Leading Complex Projects

• ASE leadership framework for leading complex projects: Adaptive

Intelligence, Social Intelligence, and Entrepreneurial Intelligence
• Communicating a vision and building cohesive teams in leading complex
projects
• Building in redundancy for key roles while keeping your core team lean
• How to govern and leverage complexity

Capstone Project
As part of this final phase, you’ll create a strategy to navigate structural,
emergent and sociopolitical complexities of your own project.

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CASE STUDIES

To get a clearer understanding of how business actually works in the real world, you
will examine several case studies involving these prominent companies:

Autodesk
Learn how Autodesk adopted Integrated Project Delivery for risk
management and multi-objective optimization in building projects.

Car Max
Learn how the largest used-vehicle retailer in the US has undertaken
a major digital transformation to become a customer centric,
product-driven organization.

PFM Devices
Learn how a classical organization is transformed into an
agile one.

Sattva eTech
Learn how Sattva eTech manages uncertainty in the project
network through the design, prototyping and manufacturing of
embedded system products.

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COMPANY EXAMPLES

Microsoft Spotify Heathrow

Learn how Microsoft uses Learn how Spotify applies Learn the importance of
status reports to create agile principles to encourage flexibility in decision-making for
alignment and build a experimentation and drive complex, long-duration projects,
cohesive organization. innovation. such as the construction of
Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.

BMW Nvidia Southwest Airlines

Learn how a Ergonomics Learn how Nvidia has carved Learn how Southwest tailors all
and Digital Transformation out a niche for itself to its activities to deliver low-cost,
project enhanced job become a dominant force convenient services and create
satisfaction and without competing with much a competitive advantage.
productivity. larger firms.

Simulation
Explore how to persuade key
stakeholders to adopt a change
initiative through Change
Management Simulation: Power
and Influence V3.
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 ASSIGNMENTS
After each module, participants apply the frameworks and tools that they’ve learned
to their own projects. The capstone project will incorporate all assignments and
create a strategy to navigate structural, emergent and sociopolitical complexities
in their projects.

MODULE

MODULE 01
08 Assess
your leadership
style and create a
Pick two projects within
your company and
plan to build your MODULE

02
discuss how chaos
leadership skills and complexity
Identify the within the context may affect the
sociopolitical of your project. outcome. Pick one
complexities of
project to focus
your project, and
on for the rest of the
propose a strategy for
course. Explain the strategic
MODULE team composition,

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alignment, identify metrics for
change management,
success, and map out the
and communication.
complexity.

Develop or complete Create a project MODULE

03
templates for a project charter, SOW, WBS,
progress evaluation and and RACI matrix for
Earned Value Analysis for your project.
your project.
Select a project Estimate the
management time and budget
MODULE methodology for your for your project,

06 project. Run a Risk identifying the critical

Assessment, and path, resources and
create a response trade-offs of
plan. time-budget.
MODULE

MODULE 04
05
10
PROGRAM FACULTY

Omar Romero-Hernandez
Continuing Lecturer
Business and Social Impact | Operations and IT Management | Sustainability

Omar Romero-Hernandez is a continuing lecturer in the Haas Operations and IT Management Group
and the Institute for Business and Social Impact at the Haas School of Business. He leads the
Advanced Project Management Practice for the Graduate Programs.

Romero-Hernandez is a Chemical Engineer with graduate studies in Economic Policy and Government
and a PhD in Process Economics and Environmental Impact from Imperial College, England.
He has worked for a diverse range of public and private organizations such as Procter & Gamble,
PEMEX (Oil & Gas), Accenture, and the Federal Government. He has over 25 years of experience
working in medium and large complex projects. He has led several internationally awarded projects in
the field of digital transformation, sustainable business strategies, renewable energy and business
processes – sponsors include the United Nations, USAID, Industry consortiums, S&P 500 companies,
the Stock Exchange and NGOs.

Currently, he is an international educator, board member, national researcher, and author of various
books including: Introduction to Engineering, Renewable Energy Technologies and Policies, and
Industry and the Environment and several peer reviewed international publications on project
management, business modeling, green operations and sustainable development.

In 2010, Romero-Hernandez was a first place laureate for the Franz Edelman Award, the world’s
most prestigious award on operations research and management science applications.

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 Homa Bahrami
Senior Lecturer
Management of Organizations

Homa Bahrami is an international educator, advisor, board member, and author, specializing in
organizational flexibility, team alignment, and dynamic leadership in global, knowledge-based
industries. She is a senior lecturer at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley and
a faculty director at the Haas Center for Executive Education, and has served on the Board of the Haas
Center for Teaching Excellence.

Bahrami is the co-author of a major textbook (with Harold Leavitt, Stanford University), “Managerial
Psychology: Managing Behavior in Organizations,” published by the University of Chicago Press, and
translated into many languages. Her latest book, “Super-Flexibility for Knowledge Enterprises,” (second
edition published by Springer and co-authored with Stuart Evans, Carnegie Mellon) focuses on practical
approaches for strategizing, organizing, and leading knowledge workers based on their collective
experience and field research in Silicon Valley during the past 30 years.

She has served on the boards of directors of three public technology companies and has been a
member of all three board committees: audit, compensation, and governance. She is a member of the
National Association of Corporate Directors and is active in executive education and executive
development in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

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GUEST SPEAKERS
How to lead projects and teams to success? Learn from those who have done it.

Michael Kobori - Phillip Yang -

Chief Sustainability Clean Energy Project
Officer at Starbucks Manager at Apple

David Atkins-Maters - Sean McDonald -

System Project Former Program
Manager at Waymo Director at
AstraZeneca

Juan Manuel La Cruz - Michael Lebow -

Senior Project Data Center Project
Manager at Webcor Lead, Global
Infrastructure and
Energy at Google

Carin Kaltschmidt -
Former Principal -Ernst
and Young, EY

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CERTIFICATE
Get recognized! Upon successful completion of the program, UC Berkeley Executive
Education grants a verified digital certificate of completion to participants. This
program is graded as a pass or fail; participants must receive 80 percent to pass
and obtain the certificate of completion.

UC BERKELEY

E
E X E C U T I V E E D U C AT I O N

P L
M
This is to confirm that

Name

A
has successfully completed the online program:

S
Leading Complex Projects
Date

Mike Rielly, Chief Executive Officer Dean, Haas School of Business

Laura D. Tyson
Dean, Haas School of Business
Chair of the Board
UC Berkeley Executive Education

Note: After successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you
used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to
change at the discretion of UC Berkeley Executive Education.

This program counts toward a

Certificate of Business Excellence
CURRICULUM DAYS
Three Days

PILLAR(S)
Entrepreneurship & Innovation / Finance & Business Acumen

A UC Berkeley Certificate of Business Excellence gives individuals the opportunity to create a personal plan of study
structured by our four academic pillars. Participants will earn a mark of distinction with certification from a
world-class university, and enjoy the flexibility of completing the program in up to three years.

LEARN MORE

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 THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Keeping it Convenient
Access to program content is flexible and available
through multiple devices, allowing working
professionals to easily manage schedules and learn
remotely—anytime, anywhere. Participants enrolled
in the program obtain access to learning materials in
a modular approach, with new content released weekly.
Program modules include a variety of teaching
instruments, such as:

Video lectures Discussions Class materials:

articles, cases

Our programs are designed to meet the needs of

individual learning styles, while also leveraging
the power of peer learning. This is achieved Knowledge Surveys Assignments
Checks
through a user-friendly learning platform that
enables participants to easily navigate the To further personalize the program modules, live
program content to achieve learning objectives. teaching sessions are scheduled during the program,
often with Q&A. For participants who are unable to
attend these live sessions, a recording is made available
Keeping it Real so nothing is missed. Our industry-leading learning

Our pedagogical approach is designed platform allows participants to create a profile, connect

to bring concepts to life, including: and collaborate with peers, and interact with
academic/industry experts such as program leaders
Byte-sized learning techniques
and teaching assistants. Assignments are often linked
Real world application to participants' real-world situations, making concepts
Peer learning discussions inherently practical.

Live, interactive teaching

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Keeping it Interesting • Microsoft Office and PDF viewer to access
content such as documents, spreadsheets,
Our globally connected classrooms enable
presentations, PDF files, and transcripts
participants to seamlessly interact with their
peers to complete group assignments and
stay on track toward program
completion—with culturally-enriching Other Requirements
encounters along the way.
Programs may necessitate the usage of various
software, tools, and applications. Participants

Program will be informed about these additional

requirements at the registration stage or when
Requirements the program begins. Our program advisors are

To access our programs, participants will also available to respond to any queries about

need the following: these requirements.

• Valid email address

• Computing device connected to the
internet: PC/laptop, tablet, or smart
phone
• The latest version of their preferred
browser to access our learning platform
assignments

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DURATION
8 Weeks, online
4-6 hours per week

PROGRAM FEES ABOUT EMERITUS

$2,600 UC Berkeley Executive Education is collaborating with online
education provider Emeritus to offer a portfolio of high-impact
online programs. These programs leverage UC Berkeley
Executive Education's thought leadership in management
practice developed over years of research, teaching, and
practice. By working with Emeritus, we are able to broaden
access beyond our on-campus offerings in a collaborative and
engaging format that stays true to the quality of The University
of California, Berkeley. Emeritus’s approach to learning is based
on a cohort-based design to maximize peer-to-peer sharing and
includes live teaching with world-class faculty and hands-on
project-based learning. In the last year, more than 66,000
students from over 160 countries have benefitted professionally
from Emeritus courses.

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 Delivered in affiliation with

CONNECT WITH A PROGRAM ADVISOR

Email: berkeley@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 510-822-8883