Complicated vs Complex

Complicated projects. Knowing and understanding involves hard work with lots of details. It is hard, but not because it cannot be known, but because there is a lot to be understood.

Traditional Project Management has come to grips nowadays with complicated projects by making available effective project management tools and technologies.

Complex Projects. This means the projects are difficult because they are in the unknown. Like a travel through the mountains with unexpected cliffs, through mazes that cannot be mapped out in advance and where you don't know if 80% done means succes almost gained.

These are projects that follow unpredictable paths, not because you made an error in prediction, but because that is what complex projects do. By nature.

They are not nails, even if you want them to be. And a hammer will not be the best tool. Just tracking progress, value earned and milestones will give you an incomplete picture.