Project complexity has become a significant concern as projects have grown more complex. Project managers and those involved in project planning must understand how to manage project complexity. This is because different perceptions are associated with goal-setting and decision-making, which can directly impact the success of a construction project. Complexity can hurt the outcome of a project. It can hinder project control and Planning, make it difficult to identify goals and objectives, and even cause it. The complexity of a project is the quality that makes it hard to predict, understand and control the overall behavior even with complete information.
Project managers must identify the factors and sources influencing the project’s complexity. Due to the fast-paced systems that characterize today’s business and social landscape, which are characterized by discontinuity, organizations must make decisions and take actions based on unknown variables. The methods or approaches to managing the impact areas are not predictable when projects have the characteristics of complex systems. The interaction between project elements and their environment is what determines the outcome.
Today, in my blog post, I will help you better understand the areas of impact on a project’s journey by guiding you through the dimensions of complexity.
Uncertainty regarding the scope of the proposed project Planning is the key to project management. Although we cannot predict what will happen, Planning can help reduce its impact. According to the old saying, you are planning for failure if you don’t have a plan. Nevertheless, not every plan will work. This is why a backup plan should be considered.
Using methods like a fixed scope and an estimation that is slightly higher than the estimate of completion actually is, or reducing the number of elements to make the estimation more reliable, can help reduce uncertainty and create breathing space.
Look at the three different methods of project behavior to see how they deal with uncertainty
there is no uncertainty in the schedule when the scope is fixed. This method is effective when you add 30% buffer time to projects that require repetitive tasks.
Fixed Schedule with Adjustable Scope
Agile methodologies handle such projects by committing themselves to the one thing that is truly controllable, namely, the schedule. Scrum projects are run in short cycles, allowing for small increments in scope. They also allow frequent changes to scope and priority. The scope is adjusted within each cycle as per need.
No schedule, unknown scope
The scope of the project is the biggest source of uncertainty. Kanban, a process that limits work-in-progress and is agile, can be useful in such scenarios.
Changes in scope that occur during the implementation of the project.
There are solutions to the inevitable scope changes. These include documenting each change, establishing a structured approval procedure, defining clear acceptance criteria, creating work breakdown structures, or using project management software.
The projects will suffer from multiple problems if no procedures are in place to handle scope changes. We must ensure our home is built on a solid foundation to protect it from unplanned changes.
High number of stakeholders with influence on the project
If there are many stakeholders, it can be difficult to manage the conflicting goals, incorporate the ideas of different stakeholders into the development and ensure everyone’s needs are met within a reasonable timeframe. In such situations, project management should consider each stakeholder’s level of influence and interest in developing the project. To avoid confusion, it is important to determine the type of information that should be given to each stakeholder based on how involved they are.
Stakeholder expectations can be ambiguous because different stakeholders may have strong backgrounds in certain fields but not a disciplined view of other aspects of the project. A stakeholder with a strong background in IT might want to develop something a certain way, but the legal team or compliance team may have a different opinion. In such situations, communication from the project manager is crucial to bring all stakeholders on the same track. Project managers should avoid communication breakdowns and establish clear communication protocols to achieve this.
It is important to make sure that each change proposed by a stakeholder contributes to the success of the project. It is easier to resolve conflicts if you outline the goals and objectives and then prioritize the changes. In such cases, ambiguity can be resolved by identifying the stakeholders who fund the project. The group would have the final word. This allows for more clarity. A project manager should always ask for clarification in any ambiguous situation.
Novelty of the project / technology
The characteristics of the project determine the project’s novelty. Technological novelty and change are introduced when new technology functionalities are added to existing technologies. The novelty of a project can be increased by factors such as technology familiarity, newness, platform changes, scope changes, and discontinuous technology changes. A client may pitch the technology they are using, even if it is outdated or irrelevant. However, other technologies could be used to complete the project. All of these factors contribute to the novelty of a project.
Project novelty isn’t all bad. Project novelty adds to an organization’s analysis of its capabilities. The premise is that moving from having no experience to having some experience is important. The premise is also extended to include a detailed evaluation of project characteristics to determine the applicability and appropriateness of an organization’s capabilities. Employee training programs, cross-domain expertise, and periodic skill audits can all help reduce a project’s novelty.
High interdependence of technologies
The degree to which different parts of an organization must exchange information and materials to perform their essential tasks can be understood by technological interdependence. There are three main types of interdependence in technology: