Resilience in Project Business Pt. 1
Project Business Management
SERIES ARTICLE
By Oliver F. Lehmann
Munich, Germany
“Chaos, when left alone, tends to multiply.”
– Stephen Hawking
Summary
With a rapidly changing geo-political landscape, resilience is no longer optional for Project Business performed by customers and contractors—it’s a necessity. This first article of the series “Resilience in Project Business” delves into the profound impact of the foreseeable chaos and offers actionable insights to empower organizations to navigate disruption, align stakeholders, and thrive in high-stakes environments.
Resilience in Project Business
This is the 1st article in a 3-part series titled “Resilience in Project Business”, exploring the tangible and intangible consequences of chaos in project business and the necessity of organizational resilience to mitigate its impacts.
The three parts of the series are titled:
Pt. 1 – The Cost of Chaos
Discussing special causes and effects of chaos that impact project business and the critical need for organizational resilience to effectively address and manage the challenges that come with it.
Pt. 2 – Bridging the Gap: Overcoming Misalignment in Project Ecosystems
Addressing common disconnects between stakeholders in project networks, such as conflicting business interests, mismatched goals, communication barriers, and cultural differences.
Pt. 3 – The Resilient Contractor: Thriving in High-Stakes Project Environments
Exploring strategies contractors can adopt to build resilience, including risk management, financial stability, and adaptive business practices.
A PESTLE Analysis
Together, the three articles form a kind of PESTLE analysis, a crucial tool in Project Business Management, where the success of projects often depends on navigating complex and dynamic external environments. In project business, companies frequently engage in temporary and collaborative ventures that involve multiple stakeholders, such as customers, contractors, subcontractors, and other suppliers, often across international borders, governed by a system of contracts. Understanding the external factors that impact these ventures is essential to minimize risks and capitalize on opportunities.
Here’s how PESTLE analysis applies to project business:
More…
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Editor’s note: This series of articles is by Oliver Lehmann, author of the book “Project Business Management” (ISBN 9781138197503), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2018. See author profile below.
How to cite this article: Lehmann, O. (2025). Resilience in Project Business, Pt. 1: The Cost of Chaos PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue I (January). Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/pmwj148-Jan2025-Lehmann-Resilience-in-Project-Business-1.pdf
About the Author
Oliver F. Lehmann
Munich, Germany
Oliver F. Lehmann, MSc, ACE, PMP, is a project management educator, author, consultant, and speaker. In addition, he is the owner of the website Project Business Foundation, a non-profit initiative for professionals and organizations involved in cross-corporate project business.
He studied Linguistics, Literature, and History at the University of Stuttgart and Project Management at the University of Liverpool, UK, where he holds a Master of Science Degree (with Merit). Oliver has trained thousands of project managers in Europe, the USA, and Asia in methodological project management, focusing on certification preparation. In addition, he is a visiting lecturer at the Technical University of Munich.
He has been a member and volunteer at PMI, the Project Management Institute, since 1998 and served as the President of the PMI Southern Germany Chapter from 2013 to 2018. Between 2004 and 2006, he contributed to PMI’s PM Network magazine, for which he provided a monthly editorial on page 1 called “Launch,” analyzing troubled projects around the world.
Oliver believes in three driving forces for personal improvement in project management: formal learning, experience, and observations. He resides in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, and can be contacted at oliver@oliverlehmann.com.
Oliver Lehmann is the author of the books:
- “Situational Project Management: The Dynamics of Success and Failure” (ISBN 9781498722612), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2016
- “Project Business Management” (ISBN 9781138197503), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2018.
His previous articles and papers for PM World Journal can be found here:
