Investigating the determinants of construction project complexity impacting project success: an India perspective

Abstract

The problem of time and cost overruns has been prominent in the Indian construction industry, reporting project complexity as a causal parameter for the volatility in cost and schedule parameters of project performance impacting their success. This paper examines the construct of construction project complexity and explores the significant determinants of project complexity. The study identifies twenty-three determinants of project complexity specific to project success parameters of time and cost, through the literature review based on the mapping of complex system properties, project characteristics, and success parameters as derived through existing theories. These determinants were rationalized and categorized based on 110 responses from industry experts gathered through a questionnaire survey. The gathered data is analyzed using a confirmatory factor analysis approach based on the maximum likelihood estimation. The goodness of fit indices establish the fitness of the model. The analysis results establish the validity with adequate evidence of the reliability of the data. The scale comprising of organizational, technological, environmental, information, emergent, goal, and legal as the significant determinants of complexity and thus, can provide insight to project managers about the main factors that can lead to enhanced levels of decision-making while delivering in such dynamic complex project systems.