Cambridge Handbook of Project Behavior

Despite careful planning, projects often deviate from their assigned paths. Delays, cost overruns, benefit underruns, stakeholder disappointments, and sustainability shortfalls are common challenges during project initiation and execution. The Cambridge Handbook of Project Behavior addresses the underlying causes of project behavior and misbehavior, while offering evidence-based strategies for remediation. Featuring guidance for anticipating project outcomes and practical advice for dealing with projects when they branch off assigned paths and veer off track, this Handbook is a valuable resource for practitioners, policymakers, and project professionals responsible for delivering high-profile and complex projects. It includes contributions from leading experts in the field of project management, providing a unique international perspective. As mega-projects become increasingly prevalent on the global stage, understanding the dynamics of project behavior and misbehavior has never been more critical. The Cambridge Handbook of Project Behavior offers essential insights and solutions for successfully navigating the challenges of project management.

Lavagnon A. Ika is Professor of Project Management in the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Professor Ika is at the forefront of the project behavior debate as protagonist of the Planning Fallacy versus Hiding Hand debate and proponent of Fifth Hand theory. He is the author of the PMI award-winning book Managing Fuzzy Projects (2023) and his work on project behavior has won two International Project Management Association (IPMA) research awards.

Jeffrey K. Pinto is Andrew Morrow and Elizabeth Lee Black Chair in Management Technology in the Black School of Business at Penn State–Erie, The Behrend College. Professor Pinto has been considered one of the top scholars in his field for nearly three decades. He has written and edited 27 books and several hundred scientific papers, and has received numerous awards for his research in project management.