Lessons from Runaway Projects

School of Management Evening Seminar Series
Date: Thursday 28th June 2007
Timings: 6pm Registration, 6.30pm Presentation
Speaker: Professor Terry Williams
Venue: School of Management, University of Southampton
Price: £15
Registration: Please download, complete and return the registration form

High profile projects are sometimes dramatically unsuccessful. Costs can spiral out of control and deadlines slip. But we can learn how to do better through careful analysis of previous projects. Modelling can illustrate how ambiguity can wreck plans and positive feedback or 'vicious circles' cause projects to behave in a way that is sometimes counter-intuitive. Professor Williams will explain that three common factors are often present in problem projects. How these factors come together to cause huge over-runs will be examined in depth. The presentation will discuss the implications for project management and what this means for our practice as project managers.
Terry Williams is Professor of Management Science in the University of Southampton's School of Management. He has over 25 years of experience in Management Science (MS) and is prominent in both MS and project management.