Measuring Information Systems Project Complexity: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Abstract

Complexity has emerged as the new norm in the 21st century, and IS projects play a significant role in organisations to address various socio-political concerns. The purpose of this paper is to understand what are the relevant constructs for measuring IS project complexity. A model for measuring IS project complexity is developed using PLS-SEM. The model reveals that organisational complexity, technical complexity, and uncertainty underpin IS project complexity. Organisational complexity in terms of project team, stakeholder management, and strategic drive should be managed by the project manager. Technical complexity was established in terms of project goals, requirements management, technology management, and norms and standards. Uncertainty in IS projects exists in terms of skills management, the triple constraint, and activity management. Suggestions were provided to guide IS project managers on how to manage each construct and alleviate the level of project complexity. This paper presents an updated and different perspective on measuring and managing IS project complexity. The findings would serve as additional building blocks to further elucidate IS project complexity understanding and assist with improving the value of these projects. Furthermore, the suggestions for IS project managers can lead discussions around how IS projects should be managed to ensure complexity is under control.

An attempt to understand complexity in a government digital transformation project

“…Accordingly, we assume that the project case we studied has some contextual aspects that makes it unique, for instance the public context in which it operates. Researchers also report that projects that are set up to deliver digital and IS solutions can no longer be regarded as purely technologically focused endeavors, as the complexity embedded in such projects has multiple implications [5]. In line with this thinking, we assume that complexity in the studied government digital transformation project incorporates multiple factors and is a result of dynamic and extensive interplay between complexity elements from all three dimensions.…”

“…The identified groups of complexity elements separately constitute management challenges for the project. Researchers have responded to these types of challenges by presenting a multitude of strategies and management tools for how to embrace, tackle, and manage complexities related to organization, technology, and innovation [5], [33], [63].…”

“…Furthermore, studies of project complexity in IS projects show that technical aspects, such as lack of knowledge and familiarity with advanced and new technologies, and lack of skills and competencies in handling technical risks and quality requirements, will impact the organizational processes and management of projects [34], [70]. Furthermore, studies of complexity in IS projects reiterate that selecting the right competencies is highly critical for coping with technological complexity, and should be considered an important task of the project manager [5]. In government digital transformation projects, the ability to select and devote the right resources to the project might be a more critical problem and one that that occurs in current project practice in the public sector, namely the problem of dealing with constrained resources [68], which also impacts the selection of people and competencies for a project.…”

“…Project complexity has received much attention from practitioners and academics alike during recent decades [1], [2], and significant progress has been made in understanding the different aspects of complexity in projects [3]. Although extant studies provide useful insights into project complexity in a number of industries such as engineering and information technology (IT)/information systems (IS) [4], [5], we still know very little about complexity factors in government digital transformation projects, and what may cause complexity in these projects. Drawing upon the emerging body of literature on project complexity and an in-depth case study approach, we attempt to explore the nature of complexity in a government digital transformation project in Norway.…”

Methodologies and Handling Techniques of Large-Scale Information in Decision Support Systems for Complex Missions

“…The proper execution of complex procedures has been one of the most important factors affecting their outcome. The need for the construction and utilization of CMS systems in complex missions arises due to multiple factors: Firstly, the excessive complexity of the CMSS's internal operational procedures, an emergent property of its nature and the volume of the input data [5]. Furthermore, the increased number of participant actors that are an internal part of the system in a mission, especially in cases of joint operations, which inherently demand a high level of coordination and synchronization [6].…”