As a fundamental model for projects I want to use the notion of a Complex Adaptive System (CAS). In this post I will outline what this means; what are the properties of a CAS and how are they beneficial in our quest to search for answers to project problems?

Why CAS In The First Place?

I am the first to admit that my attention to the use of complex adaptive systems is largely triggered by its current popularity. It is a new and exciting concept that is getting more and more popular, and its associated attention, in almost every scientific discipline. It is this multi-disciplinary aspect in combination with new and exciting that sparked my interest.
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Yesterday I came across "The Origins Of Modern Project Management" by Patrick Weaver. It is an interesting view on how Project Management emerged, and where it will be heading. It is a kind of combination between my "How Male Machismo Shaped Project Management" and "Projects As Social Interactions"… but a little less funky, and more properly researched

If you are interested in this subject (and every PM should be!), I recommend this article.

If we take the ideas behind The Sims to a more office like situation, consider the following situation where person A and B, or Bert and Ernie, influence each other. Bert's Recognitions-level is way down; he doesnt feel any recognition at all on his job, so his goal becomes "Getting Recognition". Bert in his mind has three possible strategies which all revolve around just getting attention (as he gets no feedback at all he is dying for any attention at all):

• Passive: doing nothing, see if anyone reacts;
• Aggressive: full force complaining and bitching;
• Escape: doing completely something else that delivers some kind of recognition.

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I must admit, that the first time a played The SIMS I immediately try to get them to kill of love each other. I mean: "Looking for a job" Yeah, yeah. "Hitting the next door neighbor" Cool! Assuming that I am not the only weirdo here, and to make stuff entertaining, lets go to our example.

Consider the actor Tiffany in a game. She might have the following properties:

• Gender (M/F) := F
• Age (number) := 30
• Lust (number) := 50
• Anger (number) := 40

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To be able to discuss how people operate within a project, it is important to have some kind of idea in our head about people, their behavior and how they interact. Some kind of model. Of course a model is a simplification of reality; we leave things out, we make stuff easier, just to be able to understand it all. This might be a small problem, but we have no choice. Without ignoring aspects and making a few assumptions there is no way on earth our brain will get it. Sorry to bring this to you: but our mind is too small for reality.
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