Eliani RamosVice President| PMI-SCJoinville, Sc, Brazil
We consider some criterias:
1 - Project size
2 - Project type: Technology or organizational innovation
3 - Location and number of project teams
4 - Project impact
5 - Level of dependency with other projects
6 - Number of organizations involved
We have a weighted average to define the complexity.
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2 replies by George Lewis and Vincent Guerard
Apr 06, 2018 9:14 AM
George Lewis
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Eliani - sounds interesting, do you have an example of this calculation?
May 17, 2018 9:08 AM
Vincent Guerard
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Excellent list.
I would consider adding the "client" experience in project, that can create a serious complexity issue.
Saving Changes...
Meade RubensteinPM III| IT Project GuideSparta, Nj, United States
George - in most cases, people have a hard time agreeing on the level of complexity, but the real understanding of it usually comes with experience. Here's a good article I've found (thanks for inspiring me to look:) https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/intr...del-part-i.html
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3 replies by George Lewis
Apr 06, 2018 9:15 AM
George Lewis
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Meade - thanks, let me read this article.
Apr 06, 2018 9:17 AM
George Lewis
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Meade - yes, experience (expert judgement) is one factor. Even though this sometimes is subjective, don't you think?
There should be additional to expert judgement a list of facts / calculations to determine without subjectivity.
Apr 06, 2018 2:45 PM
George Lewis
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Meade - Just finishing reading the article, very interesting...
“The parts that make [project] complexity difficult to assess are in the two areas hardest to measure: People and their abilities, and work environment.”
Johanna Rothman, consultant, speaker, and author
He does defines variables as input to determine the complexity which makes sense to me:
Details – number of variables and interfaces
Ambiguity – lack of awareness of events and causality
Uncertainty – inability to pre-evaluate actions
Unpredictability – the inability to know what will happen
Dynamics – rapid rate of change
Social structure – numbers and types of interactions
Interrelationships – many inter-dependencies and interconnections exist
Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Apr 06, 2018 9:03 AM
Replying to Eliani Ramos
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We consider some criterias:
1 - Project size
2 - Project type: Technology or organizational innovation
3 - Location and number of project teams
4 - Project impact
5 - Level of dependency with other projects
6 - Number of organizations involved
We have a weighted average to define the complexity.
Eliani - sounds interesting, do you have an example of this calculation? Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Apr 06, 2018 9:05 AM
Replying to Meade Rubenstein
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George - in most cases, people have a hard time agreeing on the level of complexity, but the real understanding of it usually comes with experience. Here's a good article I've found (thanks for inspiring me to look:) https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/intr...del-part-i.html
Meade - thanks, let me read this article. Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Apr 06, 2018 9:05 AM
Replying to Meade Rubenstein
...
George - in most cases, people have a hard time agreeing on the level of complexity, but the real understanding of it usually comes with experience. Here's a good article I've found (thanks for inspiring me to look:) https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/intr...del-part-i.html
Meade - yes, experience (expert judgement) is one factor. Even though this sometimes is subjective, don't you think?
There should be additional to expert judgement a list of facts / calculations to determine without subjectivity. Saving Changes...
Steve FeldmanSenior Project Manager| SLF Project SolutionsBurlington, Ontario, Canada
Many facets to Complexity but the fact that it's even discussed is a plus for many organizations.
- The size and duration of a project will definitely define inherent complexity. It will simply come with the territory. Some are:
- The number of interfaces.
- The number of dependencies between components.
- The number of Interrelationships.
- Culture
- Distance between stakeholders.
With Complexity being tied to Risk, the Military has a Risk profile that it applies to projects.
- V - Volatility.
- U - Uncertainty.
- C - Complexity
- A - Ambiguity.
The list is just about covered.... Saving Changes...
Leonard ByrdProject Manager| Brican Inc.Mansfield Center, Ct, United States
Maybe I'm simplifying it too much but I equate the complexity to the number of deliverables in the process. For my area Engineering Procurement & Construction I define the Project by compiling the deliverables which simply defined is each step in the process by each individual accomplishing that process. So you have an action by an individual that produces a tangible product in the process. It could be a drawing by an engineer in the design phase, a submittal by a contractor in the construction phase or the review of such deliverables or the installation of the product. Once you define the participants, the actions and the products you have the deliverables and that total number will give you the complexity. Simple addition to a building 1,500 deliverables - not so complex, Theme Park 280,000 deliverables - very complex
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1 reply by George Lewis
Apr 06, 2018 12:05 PM
George Lewis
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Leonard - thanks
Saving Changes...
Anish AbrahamPrivacy Program Manager| University of WashingtonAuburn, Wa, United States
I agree with my colleagues here.
I think better understanding of project complexity and creating a strategy to manage complexity, influences how efficiently and economically projects are planned,managed,and executed.
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1 reply by George Lewis
Apr 06, 2018 12:07 PM
George Lewis
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Anish - I also agree, but depending one the one assigning projects, his or her expert judgment might cause them to just assign projects by title alone.
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