Associate ProfessorJulien Pollack

The traditional model of project management works well in relatively simple and stable situations, but as complexity and uncertainty increase it starts to break down. Associate Professor Julien Pollack's research draws on systems thinking, complexity theory and change management in an effort to extend this model and enable practitioners to more effectively manage projects in complex, dynamic and sometimes unpredictable environments.

"The traditional model of project management tends to assume that our initial goals will remain valid throughout the project, and that we know enough at the outset to plan the whole project in detail.

"But project management is a dynamic activity, and a whole range of unexpected events can create complexity, uncertainty and the need for change and adaptation.

"Suppliers can run late or fail to deliver, clients can change their minds, design errors can become apparent, contractual ambiguities can surface, people can misunderstand each other, team members can unexpectedly move on, funding can evaporate with political change - even the strategic direction of the organisation can change, bringing the viability of the whole project into question.

"Given how turbulent the contexts of some projects are, it's sometimes a surprise that anything gets delivered at all.

"A huge amount of money is wasted when we attempt to use models of project management that don't suit the environments in which they are applied. However, my interest isn't just in the bottom line - it's in enabling people to do a better job, manage their work more effectively, achieve more, and get more out of the process.

"Part of my research aims to develop a model of project management that accommodates both linear and iterative approaches, accounting for periods of change and periods of efficient delivery.

"My ultimate goal is to change the way we think about projects and their management, and to develop techniques and frameworks that make a demonstrable difference to how groups of people come together in temporary organisational structures to manage and deliver discrete and unique pieces of work.

"I started working in this field in 2000. Between then and joining the University of Sydney in December 2016 I completed my PhD, delivered significant IT and organisational change projects for government, served as project manager and project office manager for a multibillion-dollar transport project, and led the project management program at another leading university."