Leading Complex Projects: Strategy, Execution, and AI-Enabled Impact

Why Take This Program?

Learn what makes projects complex, how chaos and complexity affect projects, and apply complexity theory to project management.

Apply AI to explore and navigate the three types of project complexity — structural, emergent, and sociopolitical complexities — and use checklist models and weighted scoring models to select and prioritize projects.

Learn the five steps to defining a project and how to lead both planned and unplanned urgent projects. Also, leverage AI for project charters, WBS, and requirement clarification.

Assign resources and manage scheduling with the Integrated Project Schedule, and manage large, complex projects with tools, including The Convergence Plan, The Program Tool, and The Program Directorate.

Explore project management methodologies (traditional, iterative, and adaptive), performance evaluation methods, and learn to use complexity to deal with troubled projects. Also, learn to apply AI for project reporting and decision support.

Understand the importance and benefits of risk management, explore qualitative and quantitative risk assessment, and learn to deal with complex projects with a large number of dependencies and external factors. Learn how to apply AI to forecast risks and implement AI governance guardrails.

Explore stakeholder management and change management, learn to create high-performing teams and build successful virtual teams, and navigate change and uncertainty. Learn how to best leverage AI for stakeholder communication and team alignment.

Understand the ASE leadership framework for leading complex projects — Adaptive, Social, and Entrepreneurial Intelligence — while building the capability to govern and leverage complexity and lead with AI through governance, judgment, and executive responsibility.

The two-month Leading Complex Projects program culminates with a capstone project in which you create a strategy to navigate the structural, emergent, and sociopolitical complexities of your own project.

Path to Alumni Benefits

Networking and events

Join local alumni chapters or clubs in your region

Participate in the annual Berkeley Haas Alumni Conference

Attend select UC Berkeley Haas and Berkeley Executive Education networking events open to the COBE community

Exclusive Berkeley Resources

Activate an @haas.executivealumni.berkeley.edu email forwarding address

15% discount on the list price of future eligible Berkeley Executive Education programs.

30% discount on the list price of future eligible programs after completion of your Certificate of Business Excellence.

Public visitor access to select campus libraries and university database services

News and communication

A one-year complimentary digital subscription to

California Management Review

Berkeley Haas Alumni newsletter

Berkeley Haas Alumni Jobs e-Newsletter featuring job postings from distinguished employers

Haas Insights offering the latest research and thought leadership from industry speakers and faculty

Note: All benefits are subject to change. The discounts mentioned may not be combined with other promotions or special offers.

Key Takeaways

Apply tools, frameworks, and strategies to manage traditional and complex projects.

Evaluate and monitor performance in complex projects to achieve business objectives.

Implement strategic project planning and risk management methodologies to navigate uncertainty and change.

Leverage adaptive leadership in complex projects to drive innovation.

Build cohesive teams to improve performance and decision making in complex projects.

Harness AI to streamline project scoping, risk management, and stakeholder communication while ensuring ethical governance.