Skill based framework for measuring complexity of construction projects

The project managers very often use the term 'simple' or 'complex' with regard to construction projects. It appears to be a simple mental task, which is always undertaken by the project manager. This indicates a practical acceptance that complexity makes a difference to the management of projects. Previous work in construction projects has identified complexity as a relevant topic, which needs to be understood objectively from the perspective of the project manager. Further the effect of skill and experience of the worker(s) had not been taken into consideration in earlier works. However, there is a diversity of opinions on what is complexity? Why and how it should be measured? This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of complexity of a project and providing a framework for its measurement. It is proposed that complexity of any project is a function of the amount of information processed by the worker(s) in carrying out it while justifying his concerns related to that project. A concern's matrix is proposed to highlight the concerns of the project manager, which are believed to be the complexity generating factors in that project. These complexity-generating factors are justified for their selection on a variety of complexity justifying factors on different information processing scales. These information-processing scales provide quantitative information with regard to the amount of information processed in justifying concerns known as the complexity index of the project. Finally the framework is applied to a number of case studies and the issues involved in applying and the insights gained are also discussed. The thesis concludes by outlining the requirements that complexity measurement must meet in order to address all the complexity issues identified along with the limitations and line of action for further research with regard to the proposed framework.