Gary Summers

Current

Founder & CEO at Star Decision Science

Past

Founder & CEO at Star Decision Science
Visiting Associate Research Professor at Portland State University

Education

Northwestern University

Connections

17 connections

Industry

Management Consulting

Websites

My Company

Gary Summers’s Summary

Here are my latest research projects:

Modeling Project Portfolio Management (PPM) with Signal Detection Theory: Learning from results is fundamental -- just look at Lean, Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints. Unfortunately, learning from results plays a small role in PPM. Modeling PPM with signal detection theory may allow you to learn from PPM RESULTS. Specifically, the new model may provide the following information: 1) a metric that shows whether c-level executives can simultaneously achieve their strategic and financial goals, 2) a metric that tells executives how aggressively to fill a pipeline, 3) the first metric that measures the accuracy of project prioritization, 4) a metric that estimates the fraction of project proposals that are true winners, 5) an equation that determines if PPM creates value, 6) a function that estimates the likelihood of success from a project's score and 7) an equation that describes the behavior of Phase-Gate systems. I am currently testing this signal detection model with simulation. I am looking for opportunities to test the model with real PPM data.

Project Ranking vs. Optimization: Which PPM technique is superior: (A) ranking projects and funding down the ranking or (B) optimization? At first glance, you might think optimization is superior, but the answer is not so obvious. First, PPM data may contain so much uncertainty that ranking offers the same range of results as optimization. Second, when faced with the unexpected, one approach may retain more of its value. Which approach degrades gracefully and which is more brittle? Third, as decision methods and solutions become more complex, decision errors may become more frequent. Do the theoretical benefits of optimization outweigh the increased potential for mistakes? I am designing a research study to answer these questions.

Gary Summers’s Specialties:

Project portfolio management, product development, decision-making

Gary Summers’s Experience

Founder & CEO

Star Decision Science

(Management Consulting industry)

November 2008 — Present (9 months)

I develop new models, metrics and practices for product development & IT systems. My "home base" is decision-making (management science stuff), but I borrow cool ideas from psychology, biology, complexity science, information theory and philosophy.
Founder & CEO

Star Decision Science

(Research industry)

2009 — 2009 (less than a year)
Visiting Associate Research Professor

Portland State University

(Research industry)

2006 — 2007 (1 year)