Leading Complex Projects (eBook)

EDWARD W. MERROW is the founder and CEO of Independent Project Analysis, Inc. After starting his career as a professor at the University of California Los Angeles, Ed spent 15 years at the RAND Corporation, eventually directing RAND's Energy Research Program. In 1987 he founded IPA to be a unique benchmarking and research provider to the capital-intensive industries and infrastructure builders around the world. Ed has authored a number of studies and books, most recently Industrial Megaprojects (Wiley 2011). Ed's contributions to the industry have been recognized by a number of organizations and he is a member of the National Academy of Construction. NEERAJ S. NANDURDIKAR is Director of IPA's global Exploration and Production (E&P) practice. In this capacity he acts as a partner and adviser to Fortune 100 Oil and Gas executives around the world in helping find savings and efficiencies across the entire oil and gas value chain and help lift capital productivity. He has delivered several keynotes and conference presentations and is a key thought leader in the industry, working to enhance the oil and gas industry's capital projects performance and make the industry stronger and more resilient. He has an MBA from The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MS in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Tulsa.

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xi

About the Authors xiii

Introduction Executive Summary 1

Chapter 1 Getting Grounded 9

Part One

Chapter 2 Methodology and Data 27

Chapter 3 The Unique Demands on Complex Project Leaders 45

Chapter 4 The Traits and Skills of Effective Project Leaders 63

Chapter 5 From Personality to Practice 91

Part Two

Chapter 6 Joseph Brewer 117

Chapter 7 Don Vardeman 129

Chapter 8 Nora'in MD Salleh and Dzulkarnain Azaman 149

Chapter 9 Jay Sexton 165

Chapter 10 Paul Harris 179

Chapter 11 David Young 195

Chapter 12 What Have We Learned and What Does It Mean? 215

Index 233