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Project complexity is the property of a project which makes it difficult to understand, foresee, and keep under control its overall behavior, even when given reasonably complete information about the project system.
With a lens of systems thinking, project complexity can be defined as an intricate arrangement of the varied interrelated parts in which the elements can change and evolve constantly with an effect on the project objectives. The identification of complex projects is specifically important to multi-project engineering environments.
The domain was introduced by D. Baccarini in 1996.
Based on the
The IT-PCM project complexity management framework proposed by Stefan Morcov consists of 5 processes:
# Plan IT project complexity management: the process of red-flagging complex projects, and deciding on management strategies and tools.
# Identify IT project complexity: the process of determining what elements of complexity characterize the project. It has as objective the detection, inventory, and description of the problem.
# Analyze IT project complexity: the process of analyzing and prioritizing the project complexity elements and characteristics. This step is concerned with understanding the problem.
# Plan IT project complexity response strategy: the process of developing options and actions to enhance and use Positive Complexity, and to reduce or avoid Negative Complexity. This step involves modeling and design of potential solutions.
# Monitor and Control IT project complexity: the process of implementing response strategies, monitoring, controlling, and evaluating the overall effectiveness. It is a continuous activity.
The typical response strategies are:
* Create, enhance, use (exploit) - if the effects are positive (i.e. Positive Complexity).
* Accept: for Positive, Appropriate, or Negative complexity.
* Avoid/ eliminate, simplify /reduce: for Negative Complexity.
Similarly with the Law of requisite variety and The law of requisite complexity, project complexity is sometimes required in order for the project to reach its objectives, and sometimes it has beneficial outcomes. Based on the effects of complexity, Stefan Morcov proposed its classification as Positive, Appropriate, or Negative.
* Positive complexity is the complexity that adds value to the project, and whose contribution to project success outweighs the associated negative consequences.
* Negative complexity is the complexity that hinders project success.
The concepts of Appropriate (requisite) and Positive Complexity are similar to '' opportunities'' in risk management, and to ''
Types of complexity
Complexity can be: * Structural complexity (also known as detail complexity, or complicatedness), i.e. consisting of many varied interrelated parts. It is typically expressed in terms of size, variety, and interdependence of project components, and described by technological and organizational factors. * Dynamic complexity, which refers to phenomena, characteristics, and manifestations such as ambiguity, uncertainty, propagation, emergence, and chaos.
Based on the Cynefin framework
The Cynefin framework ( ) is a conceptual framework used to aid decision-making. Created in 1999 by Dave Snowden when he worked for IBM Global Services, it has been described as a " sense-making device". ''Cynefin'' is a Welsh word for ''habitat' ...
developed by Dave Snowden
David John Snowden (born 1954) is a Welsh management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management and the application of complexity science. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, Snowden is the founder and chief ...
, complex projects can be classified as:
* Simple (or clear, obvious, known) projects, systems, or contexts. These are characterized by known knowns, stability, clear cause-and-effect relationships. They can be solved with standard operating procedures and best practices.
* Complicated: characterized by known unknowns. A complicated system is the sum of its parts. In principle, it can be deconstructed into smaller simpler components. While difficult, complicated problems are theoretically solvable with additional resources, with specialized expertise, with analytical, reductionist, simplification, decomposition techniques, with scenario planning, and following good practices.
* Complex: characterized by unknown unknowns, and emergence. Patterns could be uncovered, but they are not obvious. A complex system can be described by Euclid
Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...
’s statement that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
* Really complex projects, a.k.a. very complex, or chaotic: characterized by unknowables. No patterns are discernible in really complex projects. Causes and effects are unclear even in retrospect. Paraphrasing Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, a really complex system is different from the sum of its parts.Morcov, Stefan (2021). Managing Positive and Negative Complexity: Design and Validation of an IT Project Complexity Management Framework. KU Leuven University. Available at https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/637007
Project complexity has different components and sources, including the product (typically expressed in terms of structural or technological complexity); as well as the organization, its processes; the surrounding legal, ethical, and regulatory environment; stakeholder complexity and their (often conflicting) objectives; market complexity. Thus, when operating in a complex organization, or when developing a complex product, it is likely that the project itself will encounter phenomena related to dynamic complexity.
Project complexity management
The IT-PCM project complexity management framework proposed by Stefan Morcov consists of 5 processes:
# Plan IT project complexity management: the process of red-flagging complex projects, and deciding on management strategies and tools.
# Identify IT project complexity: the process of determining what elements of complexity characterize the project. It has as objective the detection, inventory, and description of the problem.
# Analyze IT project complexity: the process of analyzing and prioritizing the project complexity elements and characteristics. This step is concerned with understanding the problem.
# Plan IT project complexity response strategy: the process of developing options and actions to enhance and use Positive Complexity, and to reduce or avoid Negative Complexity. This step involves modeling and design of potential solutions.
# Monitor and Control IT project complexity: the process of implementing response strategies, monitoring, controlling, and evaluating the overall effectiveness. It is a continuous activity.
The typical response strategies are:
* Create, enhance, use (exploit) - if the effects are positive (i.e. Positive Complexity).
* Accept: for Positive, Appropriate, or Negative complexity.
* Avoid/ eliminate, simplify /reduce: for Negative Complexity.
Positive, appropriate (requisite), and negative complexity
Similarly with the Law of requisite variety and The law of requisite complexity, project complexity is sometimes required in order for the project to reach its objectives, and sometimes it has beneficial outcomes. Based on the effects of complexity, Stefan Morcov proposed its classification as Positive, Appropriate, or Negative.
* Positive complexity is the complexity that adds value to the project, and whose contribution to project success outweighs the associated negative consequences.
* Negative complexity is the complexity that hinders project success.
The concepts of Appropriate (requisite) and Positive Complexity are similar to '' opportunities'' in risk management, and to ''antifragility
Antifragility is a property of systems in which they increase in capability to thrive as a result of stressors, shocks, volatility, noise, mistakes, faults, attacks, or failures. The concept was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, '' ...
'' in vulnerability management
Vulnerability management is the "cyclical practice of identifying, classifying, prioritizing, remediating, and mitigating" software vulnerabilities. Vulnerability management is integral to computer security and network security, and must not be ...
as introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (; alternatively ''Nessim ''or'' Nissim''; born 12 September 1960) is a Lebanese-American essayist, mathematical statistician, former option trader, risk analyst, and aphorist whose work concerns problems of randomness, ...
.
See also
*Complexity
Complexity characterises the behaviour of a system or model whose components interaction, interact in multiple ways and follow local rules, leading to nonlinearity, randomness, collective dynamics, hierarchy, and emergence.
The term is generall ...
* Project management
Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. Th ...
* Risk management
* Opportunity management
Opportunity management (OM) has been defined as "a process to identify business and community development opportunities that could be implemented to sustain or improve the local economy".
Opportunity management is a collaborative approach for ...
* Antifragility
Antifragility is a property of systems in which they increase in capability to thrive as a result of stressors, shocks, volatility, noise, mistakes, faults, attacks, or failures. The concept was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, '' ...
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Project management
References