Organizing for a Complex World: The Way Ahead

Complex defense and network-centric systems have proven to be difficult to develop on time and on budget, a consequence of the complexity inherent in both the systems and the acquisition environment. These programs pose governance and management challenges, and it is difficult to know in advance the program-management model most suitable for a given program. This paper proposes ways to assess success in managing complex programs. It also addresses ways that the challenge of picking the proper development model can be partially bypassed, by seeking to cultivate flexibility and resiliency (F&R) within the organization. Through the ability to understand and adapt to changes in the internal and external environments, a program-management organization can thrive in a development environment in which unanticipated events will certainly occur.

This article is provided as a "For Comment Draft," with a final version to be published later this year. The authors welcome any comments and suggestions. Please email all correspondence to Guy Ben-Ari.