Selection of Best Practices for Mitigating Complexity in Construction Projects

Elnaz Safapour, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli

Research output: Contribution to book or proceedingConference articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Practitioners involving in construction industry frequently encounter uncertainties during the management of complex projects. These uncertainties related to project complexity have considerable impacts on project success. To increase the success of project and reduce the undesirable outcomes of the stated challenges, Construction Industry Institute (CII) has suggested multiple construction best practices (BPs). Although adopting all BPs would be useful for construction projects, it might not be a cost-effective approach. Therefore, this study aimed at selecting the appropriate best practice strategies to reduce the complexity level in construction projects. To collect data, a structured questionnaire was developed and distributed among experts and professionals involved in complex projects. Thirty-nine professionals completed the survey. To analyze the collected data, various statistical analysis methods such as Kruskal-Wallis test were conducted. The results revealed that adoption of constructability, front end planning, partnering, alignment, change management, and team building are the most impactful approaches to reduce the complexity level of construction industry. It was concluded from the results that for the complexity issues due to bureaucracy in an organization, implementing front end planning would be the most beneficial solution. Additionally, adoption of partnering would be efficient to reduce the complexity level when multiple external agencies were involved in a project. The results also demonstrated that front end planning (31.43%) and change management (24.42%) covered the highest weights associated with complexity indicators (CIs) and complexity categories. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to facilitating the decision making process by project managers and to allocate resources effectively and efficiently in complex projects.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationConstruction Research Congress 2020
Subtitle of host publicationProject Management and Controls, Materials, and Contracts - Selected Papers from the Construction Research Congress 2020
EditorsDavid Grau, Pingbo Tang, Mounir El Asmar
PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Pages667-675
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9780784482889
StatePublished - 2020
EventConstruction Research Congress 2020: Project Management Controls, Materials, Contracts - Tempe, United States
Duration: Mar 8 2020Mar 10 2020

Publication series

NameConstruction Research Congress 2020: Project Management and Controls, Materials, and Contracts - Selected Papers from the Construction Research Congress 2020

Conference

ConferenceConstruction Research Congress 2020: Project Management Controls, Materials, Contracts
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityTempe
Period03/8/2003/10/20

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