The Myths of Project Management

Despite the increasing proliferation of project management frameworks and best practices, the failure rate of complex projects remains extraordinarily high. This book examines how organisations systematically undermine the projects they commission and why traditional approaches to project management are failing managers.

The author argues that project managers need to challenge and overcome the normative assumptions that projects, and the organisations that parent them, are predictable and rational. By acknowledging that projects are in practice defined by power arrangements, complexity, and inherent risk, the book equips readers to acknowledge and better navigate the hyper-bureaucracy they increasingly find themselves in. Each chapter ends with advice and lessons drawn from the author’s decades of experience in the field.

The Myths of Project Management challenges readers to let go of the seductive lie of control, and to become a better manager of complex projects. It will be of particular interest to senior project managers, programme managers, and portfolio directors.

Bradley Rolfe was a project, programme, and portfolio manager in the Australian ICT industry for over 30 years. He has an MBA and a PhD in Project Management from Macquarie University, Australia, and has lectured in project management for the Sydney University Business School.