A specific project can be referred to as a complex one whenever, the actions as a project manager puts negative effects those are difficult to predict and at the same time unexpected also. A c0mplex project is a combination of lots of parts with interconnections, high level uncertainty or disruptions and heavy time constraints. It is the role of the project managers to sensibly re-plan the project aspects so that it can meet the pre determined objectives (Pilepic, Simunic and Car 2015). There should be an interrelationship between all the components but there must be a balance between the outcomes and the root causes.
The ways through which each individual component can affect a complex project are to be eventually identified by the project manager. In other words according to ( ), there are four reasons in terms of technical complexity, schedule, political complexity and cost complexity. The project managers should remember that a project will become a complexity f it is hard in functions and operations. The complexity of any projects partly gets reduced if the project manager becomes successful to complete the project within estimated cost, time and schedule.
Continuous changes in project schedule, time and cost will impact a project success. Contract negotiation process can reduce the issues of critical requirements that results in sub optimization of the products (Kerzner and Kerzner 2017). Without successful completion of one critical task the next activity cannot be started. It will lead a project towards cost and time failure. The required interfaces can be all connected through the detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Different case scenarios such as QLD Health, Deepwater Horizon, Texas Oil, Chanel Tunnel, etc are considered for defining a complex project. In order to deal with political risks federal, state government and local government should be consulted by the project managers. Numerous numbers of variables can be produced from these components. However, the project risks should never be compromised as it may cause massive challenges in the success path of projects.
Correct skill mix, detail project plans and risk mitigation approaches can simplify the complexity of any project (Heinemann and Gebicka 2016). Moreover, for success, project must possess a supportive infrastructure as well as project ecosystem. Plan for the work, working on the plan, agile towards the project requirements, taking necessary actions for the project activities will lead a project towards success. In order to evaluate project complexity the attributes that are to be considered and analyzed accordingly include life cycle cost of the project, risks, visibility, authorization basics, life cycle duration for the projects, technology readiness etc.
1. The causes, environments and properties of complex projects
Introduction and summary
Different varied interrelated factors can collectively deliver successful project which has not been failed. There are many reasons for which a simple project can become a complex. It is the responsibility of the project manager and the project team members to take care of the project environment. The causes behind the project complexities are as follows:
Unrealistic project scope: If the scope of project is not set professionally then the project manager and the project team members will not be able to meet its objectives within estimated budget and time. The project should be conducted considering all factors that may impact either positively or negatively its outcomes.
The scope statement must be designed considering project requirements and the expectation of the clients from it (Fleming and Koppelman 2016). If the project executives fail to design the realistic scope then schedule delay, over allocation of budget like risks may arise. The total dollar value of these overpayments is approximately $1.7 million per pay period and has been accruing at that rate since 2010. The project development experiences and available resource usability can be accomplished only if accurate preparation of the project scope.
Inaccurate scope creep: One thing the project managers feel most fear about is scope creep. In most cases the project initiates a particular direction but as soon as it develops it took different shape but does not even look at the similar project that has been preliminarily started. If outside the project objectives the planning gets expanded then that time issues like scope creep occurs and hampers the regular success of the projects (Hornstein 2015). The new changes may not be adopted by the project manager and the project team members properly.
Insufficient team skill: Insufficient skills of project team members may lead a normal project towards a complex one. In most of the times the knowledge of the project team members defines the project success. If they lack sufficient skills then, they may have to compromise with the project accountability, flexibility and reliability. As a simple project will become a complex one and the project may put at a risky situation. There are some projects which require high level knowledge and skills of the project team members (Verzuh 2015). Therefore, it can be said that the insufficient project skills can lead a project into complex situation.
Three of the above mentioned situation explains the environment, cause and properties of a complex project. In the below section some examples will be presented accordingly.
Evidence and examples
After analyzing Queensland Health Payroll system project some causes, environments and properties of a complex project are identified (Binder 2016). The Queensland Health Payroll system has experienced some major common challenges with the payroll system that they have been designed and developed. According to Haas (2016), the Queensland Health Payroll system deals with a complex operating environment with a broader project context. The project operation and functionalities are operated by around staffs who again act in two different acts.
If this system is compared with the rest of the Australian projects then it is determined that this specific project is completely unique but complex. The man operational complexity that has been occurred for this project is their ineffective key decision making approach regarding the actions of their future investment (Pilepic, Simunic and Car 2015). There are numbers of contributing factors nominated for this company which may cause significant challenges regarding the operating system. In order to implement the new system for the consumers they uses a centralized processing system therefore issues may rise regarding the creating linkage between the district staffs and the local payroll serving operators.
On the other hand according to the deepwater Horizon accident investigation report it has been defined that, he shoe track barriers that are prepared fails to isolate the hydrocarbons. According to Heagney (2016), damage caused for the project due to high load condition needed for establishing circulation. They also failed to check for the valves and seals. Not only this but also, due to insufficient rate of flow, they fails to convert the float collars. Thus, it can be said that for this project non-supportive environment is the reason that causes project failure.
Another project “Channel Tunnel” is also considered for evaluating the reasons of project complexity. In order to carry freight trains and Eurostar trains the 31 mile channel tunnel project is designed. The main reason behind the failure of the project is it’s extremely complexity. With changing time the project specifications are also apparently modified (Snyder 2014). Safety measures are crucial necessity for the success of the project but due to lack of professional communication between British and French team sorts of communication issues occurs which converted the project to a complex. The forecast of the project failed to meet the objectives that are another reason of failure.
Conclusion
Form the overall discussion it can be concluded that both professional project practices and literature the definition of project complexity is defined which requires better project management for delivery of a successful project. However, the current theory and practice of project, program and portfolio management reflects the perspectives of only clients. Considering socio technical system concept the project complexity should be measured. This specific broad as well as enriched direction of conceptualization of a complex project within a multiple project environment will help the businesses to focus in all the operational aspects.
It shows that utilization of holistic approaches will hold considerable potential for improving the operational and functional activities. In order to satisfy the clients and stakeholders the industries are facing pressure while delivering high level performance for project success. Thus, besides managing project, project manager should focus on the requirements of the industries.
In other words it can be said that project complexity can be an attribute to the newly created interdependencies resulting from huge n umbers of functions as well as activities regain from, changes in procurement methods, stakeholders multiplicity, issues related to project environment and the levels of interrelation ship between the potential suppliers. In order to capture the elements that causes risks and complexity in most projects, should be identification at the project planning phase to make sure that the risks those have been identified can be resolved accordingly.
2. The tools and techniques to aid a project manager manage complex projects
i. Introduction and summary
Project management is referred to as one of the challenging task that holds different complex roles and responsibilities. In order to accomplish project activities with professional assistance the suitable project tools and techniques are needed to be adopted by the project manager. Sometime it requires software supporting computing system while sometime it requires manual system to either insert of update information (Sharon and Dori, 2017). However, there is no such project management tool which can address all the needs of the project. The most commonly used project management tools and techniques are PERT chart and Gantt chart.
Both of these tools can be produce either manually or with the commercially available management software. In order to define and control any project, PERT chart as a control tool can be utilized by the project manager. In order to identify and specify activities, milestones by determining proper sequence of the activities the tool and techniques of project management can be adopted. It also helps to design the project network structure along with a critical path. The early start and late finish of project activities can be also determined through project management tools.
The project management tools have evolved from sophisticated spread sheet products and web based information portals. In order to bring data in a web browser, non web based project management tools and techniques are not applicable. Due to improve collaboration approach of current project management activities the web based project management portals are becoming very common to all business organizations.
At the same time, it has been determined that, of the project manager fails to identify the most suitable project management tools and techniques then it will lead failure of a project (Wautelet and Kolp 2016). Not only this but also, based on resources and risks many projects can be compared through the tools. It will also successfully deliver real time alert for the project issues, project inefficiencies, challenges. Based on project challenges and it can also suggest rather recommend a proper project solution for the project manager.
ii. Evidence and examples
With analysis of Deepwater Horizon Accident Incident it has been identified that, in order to determine the position of locks ST lock cylinder and gamma ray density techniques are collaboratively used by the project manager. On the other hand, for the BSR ST lock determination the radiographic technique is being applied. Except the VBR ST lock all the BSR ST locks are properly located to the desired locations. In the rest of the pipe rams the lock’s locations are determined with the help of less definitive gamma ray techniques (Ramazani and Jergeas 2015). However, the gamma ray technique fails to determine the location of the ST lock. Besides these techniques certain tools are also defined through Gantt chart. In order to minimize the work pressure from the project team members and accomplish the task within estimated time and budget this project management tool is utilized by the project manager.
On the other hand, for Queensland payroll system project, Critical Path Method id used by the project manager to identity the key issues and the approaches though which the issues can be successfully resolved. The relationship between district and payroll hubs can be determined with CPM. In order to strengthen the linkage between staffs and the consumers this project management technique is being utilized. The payroll processing accountability of QH and QSS are defined with the Gantt chart project management tool.
Apart from this, an electronic rostering system for line manager is developed which act as a professional project management tool that gave long term success to the project owners. However, for some of the factors certain specific defects were not successfully detected. These issues occurred due to change in pay date, prioritization of fixes, legislative changes etc. In order to implement the key system level changes to make effective utilization of release windows long term approaches are determined.
Another real time project considered for this analysis is the channel tunnel. This project was not completely unprecedented. The tools used in this project were well mechanized excavating tools, pneumatic drilling tools. On the other hand, the technique that has been considered for this specific project is sophisticated blasting method. It is expected, that successful utilization and evaluation of these tools and techniques will help to deliver and meet the project objectives.
iii. Conclusion
From the above discussion it can be concluded that adoption of continuous changes may cause ultimate project failure also. In order to avoid scope creep issues at the initial phase the project manager should consider the cost, schedule and quality through systematic project planning. Regarding the availability of the resources and deadlines realistic assumptions are to be considered. However, no scope creep solution is available but with stakeholder, team and communication management approach the issues of scope creep can be resolved. In order to plan a project much effectively Gantt chart should be prepared by the project manager.
In order to resolve the issues of project complexity the project manager and the project team members are required to select and apply proper project management tools and techniques. Utilization of proper tools and techniques will lead a project towards commercial success. Problems with system design and development should be operated by considering proper tools and techniques. Each and every activity of an organization can be labeled as a project processing feature and also varied levels of significance to the organization. before defining any tool the main thing that has to be considered for any project are project objectives which implies that there should a specific goal towards which all the members will work. In addition to this, schedule is another important thing within which the project manager should accomplish their job roles.
Only the tools and techniques that are appropriate for project should be considered to avoid future complexity. Actions are to be planned based on the nature and size of the tasks. Personnel, equipments, materials and facilities are the resources to be assigned for project success. A typical line of authority should also be considered in terms of information and control system, project tool and techniques to avoid project complexities.
3. The degree and nature of the project cases discussed in the unit regarding complex projects
i. Introduction and summary
The term project management is referred to as one of the commonly used approaches but it can be used in different forms. The three different features based on which the success of any project is evaluated are project uniqueness, objectives materialization and its identity. Most of the project owners have started adopting certain measures in terms of products delivery, services, results and exaction and non unique or non-repetitive. However, no such unique universally accepted definition for complex project management is accepted.
There are several perspectives considering which the project complexity can be successfully explored by the project managers and the project team members. ( ) stated that this is referred to as a feature which demands the usage of several management tools and techniques. The definition of project management also includes decision making specifically for project planning, organization, control, execution and conclusion.
Certain steps are there that are to be followed by the project heads so that they can meet the project objectives within the estimated time and budget. The pattern of differences also varies a lot from each other. The project management prcatices include integration, communication, scope management, time management and quality, risk and knowledge management. It is the responsibility of the project manager to meet the project success criteria.
For different project case the degree and nature are also different. After analyzing the details of the project details its degree and nature are to be measured by the project manager. In facet before giving final approval for the project all the individual project activities are needed to be considered and analyze.
ii. Evidence and examples
Different case scenarios are considered for evaluating the project management prcatices and success criteria. From the Queensland health payroll system project details t is determined that, they are focused to develop forward planning with specific initiatives so that they can identify the issues. The initiatives include payroll hub restructuring, changing pay dates, over payment, payroll self services and payroll portfolio government etc. These are the leading practices on which the project owners are putting their focus so that the traditional issues of system operation can be completely resolved. On the series of work forces the project manager is focused on improving the existing payroll management system.
The proper project practices will be able to identify different aspects such as workforce management, business improvement, financial management, governance assurance etc. the ey issues of the project that may interrupt the success of the project can also be identified by the project manager at the project planning and development period. Though, this is not a single project rather is a project combination which is comprises of different small projects. The estimated budgets for each of the small projects are also different. Some recommendations are suggested for the project to avoid further failure include forward business strategy.
The project manager should design and develop a list of prioritized payroll projects (Larson & Gray 2014). Based on priority, identification, documentation, and proper communication about the future payroll operating as well as service delivery modes are required to e used by the Queensland Health Payroll system. The current moratoriums regarding the instigated recovery overpayment approach an expenditure approval for lifting the project performance are very much crucial. For reducing some basic errors and risks the project manager should consider proactive measures. The roles and responsibilities of the project team members with the project objectives are required to be defined at the initial phase. The committee structure should be prepared in such a way so that it can keep the members engaged to the senior leaders.
Again for the Deepwater Horizon accidental investigations resport it s determined that the overall condition of the BOP has failed to meet the project success criteria Therefore, maintenance, leaks, testing, modifications are to be done based on the diagnostic results. The critical components over the control system are not properly estimated. Therefore, the project members should keep their focus on two different categories such as BPS contractors and their service providers and the drilling and operation practices for the BP (Nicholas and Steyn 2017). From the results generated from the BP testing the operation and functionalities and the operations are to be designed. Based on the current reviews the recommendations are to be prepared by the project managers so that the project requirements and objectives are successfully meet by the actions taken by the project managers.
iii. Conclusion
From the above detail discussion it can be concluded that the degree and nature of these projects are different from each other and based o the project requirements and the objectives he project outline should be designed by the project designers.
Overall discussion
There are different managerial strategies through which a project can be managed accurately. A well arranged project always helps the project managers to meet its objectives and within the estimated budget and time. Based on the background of the projects the reasons of complexity are also changes. There are different methods through which the complexity f any project can be measured (Mir and Pinnington 2014). 5DPM is one of the widely used tools that help to calculate the complexity of any specific project. Even it can also identify three different functions associated to this which include analysis, planning and implementation.
The 5DPM or 5 dimensional project management concepts give a conceptual structure to the project manager to make sure that the project objectives are understood identified an prioritized accordingly. Each of the dimensions is utilized for developing the project complexity maps which gives visual representation of the scope as well as nature of the project complexity. This particular complexity maps are generally used for making the balanced resource allocation. In addition to this, it also helps to guide 5 different specific project analysis as well as planning methods for selecting the most suitable project execution tools (Silvius and Schipper 2014).
In order to identify the reasons through which a project can meet the success the critical success factors are needed to be identified and applied by the project managers at the project initiation and project planning phase. After defining the critical success factors associated to the project the project team should be assembled by selecting the project arrangements. The project manager should focus on preparing an early cost mode and a finance plan. In order to avoid over allocation of cost and overrunning time, a finance plan should be followed by the project executives. Not only this but also resource management is another important factor therefore the project manager should develop a project action plan for addressing the resource level issues.
Moreover, adequate project execution tools will help the project managers to deal effectively with the human resource, resource details a financial details. In other word, for selecting the most suitable project execution tool different 5 project development tools are to be used in context with the structured process. The main characteristics of a complex project include some standard practices such as design, funding and contract. Through dynamic interactions the issues of project complexity can be resolved completely. Apart from this a complex project deals with high level of uncertainty related to project objectives (Ramazani and Jergeas 2015). The issues of project complexity can be identified as well as resolved by considering five different dimensions such as technical, cost, finance, schedule and context.
In order to prepare this essay some real world case scenario are chosen and analyzed accordingly and after combining all the edges it is determined that, the project estimation should successfully satisfy some criteria such as it should be factually completed but needs to be concise. In other hand, the project should be able to support the facts and findings. The team should b initially assigned and their job roles should be also identified at the same time. Proper tools and techniques, methodology of estimation and are required to be identified by the project managers.
Not only this but also the, project should successfully qualify the factors and rates which are accurately referenced in the estimation process. The project manager should focus on both the external and internal attributes so that the project manager and the project team members can meet the project success criteria and preliminary project success assumptions (Schwalbe 2015). Therefore, only the best project management processes and project prcatices help the project managers to meet the project objectives and also help to avoid project complexity.
4. Conclusion
From global management perspectives it is defined that, for accomplishing any project the task force should be properly adopted and applied respectively. If project associates fail to identify the necessary management tools and techniques then the project will be a failure. The other management approaches that are to be followed accurately by the project manager include stakeholder management, communication management, resource management, procurement management and contingency management. For the demonstrable achievements of all different values competition plays one of the fundamental roles.
From project outsets nature, timing and objectives are the different components to be successfully considered by the project manager. In order to ensure success within a project environment strategic partnership, sponsors and contract methodologies are the basic requirements to be accomplished. Under the face of project uncertainty, the project team should have the ability to manage all the emerging issues. Success from any project can be obtained through opportunities, traditional agreements of procurement, solid government support etc. Before design and development of a project the roles of the drivers that may change in unpredictable ways for the increased global interconnectivities are also determined by the purchasers. Basically the project team members including project manager should play the assigned job roles to meet the preliminarily set of project objectives.
Not only this but also, purchasers may know that the expected outcomes should meet the project objectives. The project should follow certain common themes and based on the demand the project outlines should have to be prepared. The causes, environment and nature of the project are all elaborated in this essay. Besides this, in order to meet the project objectives it is mandatory for the project manager and the project team members to identify and adopt the most suitable tools and technique. Again among all the project activities proper interdependency is needed to be established. As per the required changes the project environment should also be updated by the project manager. With a broader landscape the project deliverables should be outlined.
Moreover, from the above arguments it is determined that, a project never initiates as a complex project but it become a complex due to lack of proper functional and operation action undertake by project managers. If all the measures are not accurately measured then a normal project converted to a complex project. The reasons for which a project complexity increases include failed mergers, increased defense budget, improper IT innovations etc. The other common reasons are also demonstrated in this essay including their nature and other tactical features.
References
Bilgihan, A., Nusair, K., Okumus, F., and Cobanoglu, C. 2015. Applying flow theory to booking experiences: An integrated model in an online service context. Information and Management, 52(6), 668-678.
Binder, J. 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. Routledge.
Boud, D., Cohen, R., and Sampson, J. (Eds.). 2014. Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge.
Eskerod, P., Huemann, M., and Savage, G. 2015. Project stakeholder management—past and present. Project Management Journal, 46(6), 6-14.
Fleming, Q. W., and Koppelman, J. M. (2016, December). Earned value project management. Project Management Institute.
Haas, J. E. 2016. The influence of proportion positive online reviews and the disclosure of travel companion information on general trust in online reviews, perceived risk, booking intention, and WOM-intention (Master’s thesis, University of Twente).
Harrison, F., and Lock, D. 2017. Advanced project management: a structured approach. Routledge.
Heagney, J. 2016. Fundamentals of project management. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
Heinemann, A., and Gebicka, A. 2016. Can Computers Form Cartels? About the Need for European Institutions to Revise the Concertation Doctrine in the Information Age. Journal of European Competition Law and Practice, 7(7), 431-441.
Hornstein, H. A. 2015. The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298.
Kerzner, H., and Kerzner, H. R. 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley and Sons.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. 2014. Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project.
Liberatore, M. J. 2016. A Counterexample to the Forward Recursion in Fuzzy Critical Path Analysis Under Discrete Fuzzy Sets. arXiv preprint arXiv:1607.04583.
Mir, F. A., and Pinnington, A. H. 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.
Mir, F. A., and Pinnington, A. H. 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.
Nicholas, J. M., and Steyn, H. 2017. Project management for engineering, business and technology. Taylor and Francis.
Peppard, J., and Ward, J. 2016. The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley and Sons.
Pilepic, L., Simunic, M., and Car, T. 2015. Online hotel’s sales strategies with emphasis on web booking. Journal of Technology Research, 6, 1.
Pinto, J. K., Dawood, S., and Pinto, M. B. 2014. Project management and burnout: Implications of the Demand–Control–Support model on project-based work. International Journal of Project Management, 32(4), 578-589.
Ramazani, J., and Jergeas, G. 2015. Project managers and the journey from good to great: The benefits of investment in project management training and education. International Journal of Project Management, 33(1), 41-52.
Schwalbe, K. 2015. Information technology project management. Boston: Cengage
Sharon, A., and Dori, D. 2017. Model?Based Project?Product Lifecycle Management and Gantt Chart Models: A Comparative Study. Systems Engineering.
Silvius, A. J., and Schipper, R. P. 2014. Sustainability in project management: A literature review and impact analysis. Social Business, 4(1), 63-96.
Snyder, C. S. 2014. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. Project Management Institute.
Tamizharsi, T., Suhasaria, P., Agarwal, A., Manchanda, H., and Jain, H. 2017. A Comprehensive Review of the Bookmyshow Website and System. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3(8).
Verzuh, E. 2015. The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley and Sons.
Wautelet, Y., and Kolp, M. 2016. Business and model-driven development of BDI multi-agent systems. Neurocomputing, 182, 304-321.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download