Jennifer Shane

Exploring and Assessing Project Complexity

AbstractThe 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 ...

Guide to Project Management Strategies for Complex Projects

The research scope of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Renewal Project R10, Project Management Strategies for Complex Projects, involved the development of this guide, as well as a companion report, surveys, case studies, training, and technical tools, to address the challenges of managing modern infrastructure projects that are considerably more complex than traditional projects. These products facilitate the use of effective strategies in managing complex projects of any size and type. Acceptance and use of this guidance should improve the state of the practice by focusing on practical tools and techniques that are designed to be immediately beneficial to transportation professionals. Infrastructure needs within the United States have changed from building new facilities to replacing, expanding, and renewing existing facilities. The project management issues involved with infrastructure renewal differ from the project management issues for new construction. Correspondingly, new project management approaches must be integrated into mainstream practices for all sizes and types of projects to accelerate project delivery, reduce project costs, and minimize project disputes. The difficulties of renewal project complexity have been exacerbated by years of underfunded maintenance and replacement programs. As a result, many renewal projects have become even more challenging because of the need to avert major traffic disruptions and, in some cases, infrastructure failures. Project complexity is introduced by many factors: project types, engineering complexity, size, modality, jurisdictional control, financing approach, contract type, and delivery method. Each project calls for a distinct project management style and approach. The five-dimensional project management (5DPM) approach for complex projects is not new. However, it is extensively developed, outlined, and clearly mapped for acceptance and integration within the R10 project. The five dimensions are (1) cost, (2) schedule, (3) technical, (4) context, and (5) finance. Successful use of the 5DPM approach involves five methods that are unique for each project: define critical project success factors by each dimension, as required; assemble project team; select project arrangements; prepare early cost model and finance plan; and develop project action plans. Although a number of additional research ideas have been identified during the project, the most pressing next steps are the implementation of the material on actual complex projects and the integration of the philosophy and tools within existing agency program and project management policies and procedures. The integration will be accomplished through demonstration projects, training, and change-management assistance.

Development of the Project Complexity Assessment and Management Framework for Heavy Industrial Projects

ABSTRACT Complexity is a term applied throughout the project management field, and project complexity typically presents additional management challenges to achieving project objectives. Without an appropriate approach to assess and manage project complexity, project teams frequently face difficulties in executing their projects. This study provides a framework to develop a tool which can effectively measure and assess complexity levels of a project. This tool was designed with a “Complexity Measurement Matrix”, and is comprised of 37 complexity indicators (CIs) which have proven to be significant to describing project complexity. The complexity measurement scales were developed by normalizing data gathered from a survey of 44 completed projects. The weight factors of the 37 CIs were calculated based on three rounds of Delphi method. The developed tool generates a set of comprehensive reports and provides users with the overall project complexity level, a series of radar diagrams describing the most important indicators, and associated strategies to manage each indicator. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a pioneering approach to assessing project complexity and aids practitioners in facilitating project complexity management processes identifying the most important complexity contributors and focusing on managing complexity-associated challenges.

Resource-Based Exploratory Analysis of Project Complexity Impact on Phase-Based Cost Performance Behavior

In the field of construction engineering, practitioners frequently encounter uncertainties in the process of decision-making and management of complex projects. These uncertainties associated with project complexity, which vastly affect the project development and execution process, may cause favorable/unfavorable impacts on projects cost performance. Several scholars believe that project complexity may cause unintended consequences on project performance; however, some other researchers stated that complex projects might receive higher attention and more resources and as a result, may face less cost overruns. Therefore, this study initially aims investigate the impact of complexity on phase-based cost performance. For this reason, forty-four case studies consisting thirty high complexity projects and fourteen low complexity ones were collected. Then, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) phase cost performance of high and low complexity projects were studied and compared. To analyze the collected data, Twosample t-test was utilized. Analysis indicated that complex projects have better EPC phase cost performance compared to low complexity ones. Finally, to find out the underlying causes of better cost performance of high complexity projects in comparison with low complexity ones, the allocated resources and implemented Best Practices (BPs) were studied. It was observed that highlevel of constructability, alignment, partnering, front-end planning, team building, and change management best practices were implemented in complex projects. The findings of this study can help project/program managers (PM) to better understand the phase-based behavior of cost performance in complex projects, and hence implement strategies and allocate resources effectively and efficiently in complex projects. ITRODUCTION Construction industry is inherently uncertain and complex due to the nature of industry itself. Practitioners and researchers have many challenges while facing uncertainties and complexity throughout construction projects. Scholars believe that with a proactive complexity management plan, a construction project may face less frequent and/or severe uncertainties. For many years, researchers did not agree on a single widely accepted definition of project complexity (Edmonds, 1999, Sinha et al. 2001). To address this issue, Dao et al. (2016) performed a comprehensive analysis on complexity and its impact on project. The same researchers (Dao et al., 2017) defined project complexity as “the degree of differentiation of project elements,