Aspects of Complexity

Aspects of Complexity PDF Author: Terry Cooke-Davies
Publisher: Project Management Institute
ISBN: 1935589725
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Complexity in projects may be one of those things that are difficult to define, but easy to recognize when encountered. Or maybe not so easy. This collection of analyses deals with complexity in a way that will appeal to both academics and practitioners. It arises from a series of four academic-business roundtables sponsored by the Project Management Institute in the U.S., Australia, Malta, and Brazil. Researchers will appreciate the academic rigor of the content and practitioners will appreciate the generally reader-friendly style and tone. The opening chapter offers that elusive definition and provides the foundation for common understanding. The next four chapters compose the theoretical portion of the book, establishing the underpinning concepts related to systems thinking, systems engineering, chaos or complexity theory, and behavioral and cognitive aspects. The remainder of the book is more practice-oriented. It is a serious attempt to pull together what is currently known and understood about the topic, to help practitioners and their managers improve future practice, and to guide research into answering those questions that will best help to improve understanding of the topic.

Aspects of Complexity

Aspects of Complexity PDF Author: Terry Cooke-Davies
Publisher: Project Management Institute
ISBN: 1935589725
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Get Book

Book Description
Complexity in projects may be one of those things that are difficult to define, but easy to recognize when encountered. Or maybe not so easy. This collection of analyses deals with complexity in a way that will appeal to both academics and practitioners. It arises from a series of four academic-business roundtables sponsored by the Project Management Institute in the U.S., Australia, Malta, and Brazil. Researchers will appreciate the academic rigor of the content and practitioners will appreciate the generally reader-friendly style and tone. The opening chapter offers that elusive definition and provides the foundation for common understanding. The next four chapters compose the theoretical portion of the book, establishing the underpinning concepts related to systems thinking, systems engineering, chaos or complexity theory, and behavioral and cognitive aspects. The remainder of the book is more practice-oriented. It is a serious attempt to pull together what is currently known and understood about the topic, to help practitioners and their managers improve future practice, and to guide research into answering those questions that will best help to improve understanding of the topic.

Aspects of Complexity

Aspects of Complexity PDF Author: Rod Downey
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 311088917X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description
The book contains 8 detailed expositions of the lectures given at the Kaikoura 2000 Workshop on Computability, Complexity, and Computational Algebra. Topics covered include basic models and questions of complexity theory, the Blum-Shub-Smale model of computation, probability theory applied to algorithmics (randomized alogrithms), parametric complexity, Kolmogorov complexity of finite strings, computational group theory, counting problems, and canonical models of ZFC providing a solution to continuum hypothesis. The text addresses students in computer science or mathematics, and professionals in these areas who seek a complete, but gentle introduction to a wide range of techniques, concepts, and research horizons in the area of computational complexity in a broad sense.

Structural Complexity Management

Structural Complexity Management PDF Author: Udo Lindemann
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540878890
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Product design is characterized by a steady increase in complexity. The main focus of this book is a structural approach on complexity management. This means, system structures are considered in order to address the challenge of complexity in all aspects of product design. Structures arise from the complex dependencies of system elements. Thus, the identification of system structures provides access to the understanding of system behavior in practical applications. The book presents a methodology that enables the analysis, control and optimization of complex structures, and the applicability of domain-spanning problems. The methodology allows significant improvements on handling system complexity by creating improved system understanding on the one hand and optimizing product design that is robust for system adaptations on the other hand. Developers can thereby enhance project coordination and improve communication between team members and as a result shorten development time. The practical application of the methodology is described by means of two detailed examples.

Diversity and Complexity

Diversity and Complexity PDF Author: Scott E. Page
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400835143
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
This book provides an introduction to the role of diversity in complex adaptive systems. A complex system--such as an economy or a tropical ecosystem--consists of interacting adaptive entities that produce dynamic patterns and structures. Diversity plays a different role in a complex system than it does in an equilibrium system, where it often merely produces variation around the mean for performance measures. In complex adaptive systems, diversity makes fundamental contributions to system performance. Scott Page gives a concise primer on how diversity happens, how it is maintained, and how it affects complex systems. He explains how diversity underpins system level robustness, allowing for multiple responses to external shocks and internal adaptations; how it provides the seeds for large events by creating outliers that fuel tipping points; and how it drives novelty and innovation. Page looks at the different kinds of diversity--variations within and across types, and distinct community compositions and interaction structures--and covers the evolution of diversity within complex systems and the factors that determine the amount of maintained diversity within a system. Provides a concise and accessible introduction Shows how diversity underpins robustness and fuels tipping points Covers all types of diversity The essential primer on diversity in complex adaptive systems

Tactical Management in Complexity

Tactical Management in Complexity PDF Author: Renata Petrevska Nechkoska
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030228045
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This book draws on the author’s own experience as a practitioner, collaborations with professionals from small and medium-sized businesses with international scope in North Macedonia and Belgium, and academic research. Its goal is to bring together tactical management and information systems research in complex environments. By developing the “DENICA” managerial method it re-introduces tactics as an important managerial function and underestimated source of competitive advantage. The book also offers a roadmap for dynamic reconfiguration of the managerial systems in complex environment, while considering adaptability, sustainability and effectiveness in the process. Furthermore, the book introduces a methodological “kaleidoscope” which combines IS methodology with the managerial sciences, offering a model that can be adapted and replicated to specific contexts in order to achieve fitting solutions. Real-world case studies from North Macedonia and Belgium apply these methods and illustrate their practical implications.

The symbiosis between information system project complexity and information system project success

The symbiosis between information system project complexity and information system project success PDF Author: Carl Marnewick
Publisher: AOSIS
ISBN: 1928396259
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Project success is widely covered, and the discourse on project complexity is proliferating. The purpose of this book is to merge and investigate the two concepts within the context of information system (IS) projects and understand the symbiosis between success and complexity in these projects. In this original and innovative research, exploratory modelling is employed to identify the aspects that constitute the success and complexity of projects based on the perceptions of IS project participants. This scholarly book aims at deepening the academic discourse on the relationship between the success and complexity of projects and to guide IS project managers towards improved project performance through the complexity lens. The research methodology stems from the realisation that the complexity of IS projects and its relationship to project success are under-documented. A post positivistic approach is applied in order to accommodate the subjective interpretation of IS-project participants through a quantitative design. The researchers developed an online survey strategy regarding literature concerning the success and complexity of projects. The views of 617 participants are documented. In the book, descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis pave the way for identifying the key success and complexity constructs of IS projects. These constructs are used in structural-equation modelling to build various validated and predictive models. Knowledge concerning the success and complexity of projects is mostly generic with little exposure to the field of IS project management. The contribution to current knowledge includes how the success of IS projects should be considered as well as what the complexity constructs of IS projects are. The success of IS projects encompasses strategic success, deliverable success, process success and the ‘unknowns’ of project success. The complexity of IS projects embodies organisational complexity, environmental complexity, technical complexity, dynamics and uncertainty. These constructs of success and complexity are mapped according to their underlying latent relationships to each other. The intended audience of this book is fellow researchers and project and IS specialists, including information technology managers, executives, project managers, project team members, the project management office (PMO), general managers and executives that initiate and conduct project-related work. The work presented in this first edition of the book is original and has not been plagiarised or presented before. It is not a revised version of a thesis or research previously published. Comments resulted from the blind peer review process were carefully considered and incorporated accordingly.

Complexity Explained

Complexity Explained PDF Author: Peter Erdi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540357785
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
This book explains why complex systems research is important in understanding the structure, function and dynamics of complex natural and social phenomena. It illuminates how complex collective behavior emerges from the parts of a system, due to the interaction between the system and its environment. Readers will learn the basic concepts and methods of complex system research. The book is not highly technical mathematically, but teaches and uses the basic mathematical notions of dynamical system theory, making the book useful for students of science majors and graduate courses.

Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity

Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity PDF Author: Michael C. Jackson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119118387
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 728

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Book Description
The world has become increasingly networked and unpredictable. Decision makers at all levels are required to manage the consequences of complexity every day. They must deal with problems that arise unexpectedly, generate uncertainty, are characterised by interconnectivity, and spread across traditional boundaries. Simple solutions to complex problems are usually inadequate and risk exacerbating the original issues. Leaders of international bodies such as the UN, OECD, UNESCO and WHO — and of major business, public sector, charitable, and professional organizations — have all declared that systems thinking is an essential leadership skill for managing the complexity of the economic, social and environmental issues that confront decision makers. Systems thinking must be implemented more generally, and on a wider scale, to address these issues. An evaluation of different systems methodologies suggests that they concentrate on different aspects of complexity. To be in the best position to deal with complexity, decision makers must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches and learn how to employ them in combination. This is called critical systems thinking. Making use of over 25 case studies, the book offers an account of the development of systems thinking and of major efforts to apply the approach in real-world interventions. Further, it encourages the widespread use of critical systems practice as a means of ensuring responsible leadership in a complex world. Comments on a previous version of the book: Russ Ackoff: ‘the book is the best overview of the field I have seen’ JP van Gigch: ‘Jackson does a masterful job. The book is lucid ...well written and eminently readable’ Professional Manager (Journal of the Chartered Management Institute): ‘Provides an excellent guide and introduction to systems thinking for students of management’

Managing Complexity

Managing Complexity PDF Author: G. Rzevski
Publisher: WIT Press
ISBN: 1845649362
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Managing Complexity is the first book that clearly defines the concept of Complexity, explains how Complexity can be measured and tuned, and describes the seven key features of Complex Systems: ConnectivityAutonomyEmergencyNonequilibriumNon-linearitySelf-organisationCo-evolution The thesis of the book is that complexity of the environment in which we work and live offers new opportunities and that the best strategy for surviving and prospering under conditions of complexity is to develop adaptability to perpetually changing conditions. An effective method for designing adaptability into business processes using multi-agent technology is presented and illustrated by several extensive examples, including adaptive, real-time scheduling of taxis, see-going tankers, road transport, supply chains, railway trains, production processes and swarms of small space satellites. Additional case studies include adaptive servicing of the International Space Station; adaptive processing of design changes of large structures such as wings of the largest airliner in the world; dynamic data mining, knowledge discovery and distributed semantic processing. Finally, the book provides a foretaste of the next generation of complex issues, notably, The Internet of Things, Smart Cities, Digital Enterprises and Smart Logistics.

Complexity

Complexity PDF Author: M. Mitchell Waldrop
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 150405914X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
“If you liked Chaos, you’ll love Complexity. Waldrop creates the most exciting intellectual adventure story of the year” (The Washington Post). In a rarified world of scientific research, a revolution has been brewing. Its activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics and pony-tailed graduates, mathematicians, and computer scientists from all over the world. They have formed an iconoclastic think-tank and their radical idea is to create a new science: complexity. They want to know how a primordial soup of simple molecules managed to turn itself into the first living cell—and what the origin of life some four billion years ago can tell us about the process of technological innovation today. This book is their story—the story of how they have tried to forge what they like to call the science of the twenty-first century. “Lucidly shows physicists, biologists, computer scientists and economists swapping metaphors and reveling in the sense that epochal discoveries are just around the corner . . . [Waldrop] has a special talent for relaying the exhilaration of moments of intellectual insight.” —The New York Times Book Review “Where I enjoyed the book was when it dove into the actual question of complexity, talking about complex systems in economics, biology, genetics, computer modeling, and so on. Snippets of rare beauty here and there almost took your breath away.” —Medium “[Waldrop] provides a good grounding of what may indeed be the first flowering of a new science.” —Publishers Weekly