Van Arsdale, C (2021) Analytical assessment of project complexity: A guide to managing projects through reduction of complexity. PhD thesis, Michigan Technological University, USA.
Abstract
This research discusses the characteristics that make projects difficult to manage. Project inefficiencies and failures can be attributed to the structure of a system. Developing a measurement for complexity based on the number and nature of interactions in the system can allow project complexity to be reduced while still meeting project objectives. Previous research has identified characteristics or markers of complex systems but does not address how to measure or how to reduce a system’s complexity. The objective of this dissertation is to develop a metric for complexity that assists project and emergency managers in reducing project complexity either by engineering complexity out, if possible, in the planning stage, or by managing the system during an ad hoc incident. The proposed measure uses the number of interactions for a given perspective of the system as the metric of complexity and uses disequilibrium from the expected normal state as an indicator of an irreducible interaction and an indicator of complexity. The proposed hypothesis is discussed through mathematical and visual examples to illustrate disequilibrium in system interactions. The methodology is demonstrated in three case studies: one in construction, through the Morgan Street Bridge project over the Rock River in Rockford, Illinois; and two in emergency response incidents (one local and one State/Federal). These cases demonstrate how this measure of complexity can be used to reduce complexity in a project by identifying the perspective of interest in the system, determining the disequilibrium in the interactions, and reducing the interactions while minimizing information loss.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Mukherjee, A |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | complexity; failure; measurement; case studies |
| Index terms: | complexity, project complexity, methodology, emergency response, manager, interaction, bridge project, dissertation, marker, complex system, case study |
| Subjects: | behavioral psychology, organizational theory, research methods, practitioner, research dissemination and communication, infrastructure and transport systems, systems engineering, probability and distributions, safety engineering, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Project Management, Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Research Practice |
| 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