Dao, B; Kermanshachi, S; Shane, J; Anderson, S and Hare, E (2017) Exploring and assessing project complexity. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(5): 04016126, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The term project complexity is not well understood in the construction industry by either scholars or practitioners. Project complexity, however, is a critical factor in project management that presents additional challenges to achieving project objectives. Therefore, it is essential that everyone involved in project management thoroughly understand what project complexity is and how to identify, measure, and manage the various attributes and indicators it comprises. This study provided a constructive approach to identify and assess project complexity. As part of the study, a working definition of project complexity was developed by the research team, and project complexity was described in terms of project management rather than project physical features. In addition, the research team identified complexity attributes and developed the indicators that measure those attributes. Project specific data were collected through a survey of companies active in the construction industry. These data were statistically analyzed to test the significance of complexity indicators in differentiating low-complexity projects from high-complexity projects. The statistical analysis resulted in 34 significant complexity indicators associated with 22 attributes, which the research team considers truly representative of project complexity. The research findings can help scholars and practitioners in the project management field understand critical indicators of project complexity and develop an appropriate strategy to manage project complexity effectively.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | complexity attributes; complexity indicators; organizational issues; project complexity |
| Index terms: | organizational issue, project management, construction industry, critical factor, statistical analysis, project complexity, complexity, practitioner, survey, strategy |
| Subjects: | data science, business, data collection methods, risk assessment, practitioner, systems engineering, industry analysis, management, project management theory and practice, organizational theory |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Roles and Professions, Risk Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here