ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an examination of complexity and complex. It discusses the complexity by taking a high-level look at complexity science, what it is, and how and when it emerged. The chapter examines how complexity theory is applied to projects and programs, as well as project and program management. It was noted that there is no generally agreed-upon definition of complexity, but that a number of characteristics accurately describe the workings and phenomena associated with complex systems, such as complex collective behavior, signaling and information processing, adaptability and non-reductionist, nonlinear, emergent and self-organizing. Complex systems tend to be dynamic, chaotic, and have far less predictable outcomes, governed by quantum mechanics rather than Newtonian rules. A few different perspectives of complexity in a project environment and methods that might be used to determine if a project is complex or the degree to which such complexity exists were presented.
