Identification and Quantification of Project Complexity From Perspective of Primary Stakeholders in Us Construction Projects

Abstract

Construction experts believe that complexity could adversely affect construction projects’ performance. Several studies have been focused on identifying leading complexity indicators; however, the complexity indicators from the perspective of primary stakeholders (owners, contractors, and consultants) have been rarely studied. Therefore, the aim of this study is to utilize the systematic Delphi method to identify, rank and weight the complexity indicators based on the primary stakeholders’ perspectives associated with US construction projects. Additionally, the shared entity-based complexity indicators (ECIs), as well as the weighting of entity-based complexity categories were determined and analyzed. Therefore, 101 potential ECIs were identified through a comprehensive literature review. Then, thirteen senior subject matter experts (SMEs), and three academic advisors were selected and invited to participate in a workshop to determine significant ECIs and then rank and weight them. The results reveal that the ECIs associated with complexity categories “scope definition” and “project resources” received the highest aggregated complexity weights in the aspect of the primary stakeholders. Although this study has been conducted based on US construction projects, the results would provide helpful guidance for international construction projects. Moreover, this study would assist the primary stakeholders in allocating resources properly in order to manage project complexity worldwide.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Success, Mediated by the Management of Conflict, Communication and Trust

“…Therefore, project teams scoring higher on the Goleman scale (Boyatzis et al, 2000) in EI score higher on the Cook and Wall (1980) trust-building scale. This correlation was predicted in Druskat and Druskat (2006) and was also confirmed by Kermanshachi and Safapour (2019). Finally, we confirm hypothesis H4b (H4b: Г=0.1177, t=2.3838, p<0.05).…”

“…Thus, we must consider that it is the daily relationships that build trust. Therefore, for the scenario to be fruitful, the PM, the team, and the sponsors must make great efforts to create a friendly environment, improving teams' trust that promotes long-term cooperative relationships (Kermanshachi & Safapour, 2019). EI allows project teams to understand and manage their feelings and the emotions of other members when conflicts arise (Rezvani et al, 2018) because if interpersonal trust is a construction of daily relationships (X), teams will depend on EI to build this familiar scenario even in the presence of conflicts, which leads us to H4 hypothesis.…”

Exploring the influence of project complexity on the mega construction project success: a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method

“…To date, no uniform definition of project complexity has been established due to the differences in theoretical bases and research perspectives. However, a basic fact is that project complexity consists of two basic modules, namely, the nature of the project subsystem and the characteristics of the interaction among subsystems (San Crist obal, 2017; Kermanshachi and Safapour, 2019). Therefore, this study defines project complexity as the difference between the subsystems within the project and the nature and number of interactions among them.…”

Construction Change Order Management Project Support System Utilizing Delphi Method

“…Change orders are unavoidable in the construction industry, are dynamic, and vary from project to project Shrestha & Maharjan, 2018). Kermanshachi and Safapour (2019) argued that change orders have both visible and implicit impacts on projects, and that defining their indirect impacts is complicated. The purpose of a change order document is to identify duties and obligations as well as to recognize the budget and timeline of the change order.…”