This book has evolved from a PhD thesis. It takes the view that Leadership can be learned. These skills have a flow-on effect across the full spectrum of management activities. The result; more productive, more efficient teams that finish projects on time and on budget. The Leadership Process Reference Model is the result of cutting-edge Design Research. It offers design researchers an innovative new application for DR. It also offers Project Managers the means to improve your ability to manage/lead projects involving complex virtual teams. The model is a set of processes that comprehensively describe effective leadership behavior in complex virtual teams. The model can also be applied to similar good effect in co-located and/or simple teams. It is very flexible in its application, having the potential to significantly improve your ability to lead your team/project to more successful project outcomes, particularly when complexity and virtuality are factors. It has the potential to shift gears in your project management career. It identifies improvement opportunities and gives useful guidance on how these improvements might be achieved.

David Tuffley is a Lecturer and Senior Consultant with the Software Quality Institute at Griffith University in Australia. Before Academia, David was for 15 years a Technical Writer and Business Analyst specializing in software requirements and quality management. David's book is the culmination of a ten year action research project.