Evaluating Project Complexity in Construction Sector in India

Abstract

Evaluating complexity, in order to manage it effectively, has been stressed by many researchers as one of the key areas of project management. This, as literature shows, has been done using different methodologies and assessing it from different perspectives resulting in measures that differ in their characteristics, their application, and their relevance with respect to location or typography. Since no such quantitative study with respect to Indian construction sector was found in literature, the aim of this research is, therefore, to develop a model for evaluating complexity in projects in Indian construction sector with aim of enabling informed interventions at the planning stage to manage the complexity better. A comprehensive literature study enabled identification of 23 such determinants initially which were grouped under 7 components of complexity, each component representing a different type of complexity. Using a two-stage Delphi process, the determinants were narrowed down to 21 and were weighed using mean rank weightages. The results of the survey were used to develop a framework for evaluating complexity which was further idealized into a model in the form of Project Complexity Index that could provide a single quantitative value of complexity at any stage of the project and highlight the areas of concern. Application of the developed model was demonstrated on two case studies of similar infrastructure projects. The framework made it possible to evaluate the complexity as well as highlight the areas needing attention on the basis of component complexity scores thereby indicating that the framework was robust.