Professional Certificate: Management of Engineering Projects; Dealing with Complexity

Professional Certificate

Develop the proficiency and expertise that employers are looking for with specialized training and professional education.

2 Courses in program
5 - 7 weeks per course
4 - 6 hours per week
English language

Underestimating project complexity is widely accepted as one of the major causes of project failure. International studies reveal that a staggering 40% of projects fail to deliver on their promises (1).

So how can you as an engineer with a technical background improve your project performance?

In this program, you will learn the project management skills you need to successfully manage engineering projects. First you will focus on the early project phases, which are crucial to achieve project success. The areas covered include the project manager and the team, the project process, and the project context. At the end of this part of the program you will have created your own project execution plan.

But how will you deal with the inherent uncertainties linked to the length and scale of engineering and infrastructure projects and their constantly changing environments? As with most external factors, many of the causes and consequences of complexity are difficult to avoid or control. Therefore, attempts to overcome these challenges by simply trying to reduce their causes is not enough.

In the second part of the program you will learn our approach to mastering project complexity, focused on front-end development and teamwork. You will develop the skills needed to make timely actions and improve your chances of project success.

You will learn to identify what makes a project complex and how to perform a complexity assessment. You will analyze these elements in the context of your own project. Then, based on our complexity framework, you will identify the complexity footprint of your project and use it to adapt your management processes.

This program has been designed by TU Delft’s international experts on Project Complexity and is based on more than 60 years of practical experience as well as relevant research in the field. “We see projects still fail and there is a need to do things differently, otherwise we cannot expect better results. That’s what this program is about: delivering the best practices for project execution based on our state-of-the-art research.” – Associate Professor Marian Bosch-Rekveldt

(1) Merrow, 2010

Manage your project successfully in different sectors and contexts.
Work together successfully in a project team.
Examine the elements of a project (such as interfaces, stakeholders, cultures, environment, technology, etc.) and their intricate interactions.
Identify what makes a project complex and how to perform a complexity assessment.
Develop a complexity footprint and adapt your management processes to fit the complexities of your project.

The global economy will need a total of 25 million new project professionals by 2030. To close this gap, 2.3 million people will need to enter project management-oriented employment (PMOE) every year to keep up with demand. (Source: Project Management Institute – 2021 Talent Gap)
Most countries demonstrate higher median salaries among those managing larger projects in comparison to those managing smaller projects, suggesting a connection between salary and the size of projects managed in terms of number of team members and project budget. (Source: PMI Project Management Salary Survey Thirteenth Edition)
The average base salary for a (construction) project manager ranges between $88,587 and $93,370 per year in the United States. (Source: indeed.com – 2024)

"Delft University of Technology combines the entire range of hard and soft skills for the future project manager in their Professional Certification Programs for Project Management. At Royal HaskoningDHV, we contribute to a better society and improve people's lives through delivering work underpinned by our sustainable values and goals. Excellent project managers who are able to lead today's and future's complex and innovative projects in an adaptive way are key for us. Therefore we fully endorse the Professional Certification Program for Project Management of TU Delft. Let's enhance society together!" — Erik Oostwegel, CEO, Royal HaskoningDHV

If you successfully complete this program you will earn a Professional Program Certificate.