Complex Projects: Roles in the Society and Challenges Face

COMPLEX PROJECTS SIGNIFICANCE IN A SOCIETY
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Complex Projects Significance in a Society
1 Introduction
Technological advancements have enhanced the productivity and perfection associated with different projects of a company. The prime purpose behind the initiation of every project is to earn the maximum profit by exhausting the minimum resources. A project is not the name of a single activity or department but is associated with several activities and engages different departments until completion. Project success and failures are associated with project management techniques. The more intelligent the methods are, the brighter chances there are for the ensured success of a project.
Complex projects are large-scale initiatives that involve the coordination and integration of multiple stakeholders, disciplines, and technologies to achieve specific goals or objectives. They are a common feature of modern society and play a crucial role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing communities and organizations (Poveda-Bautista et al., 2018). However, despite their importance, complex projects also present several challenges and are prone to failure.
This assessment will focus on the significance of complex projects and their role in society. Also, the challenges associated with tricky tasks will be discussed in this assessment. Furthermore, the part of the culture in complex projects and project delivery will be discussed here.
2 Literature Review
Complex projects are characterized by uncertainty, interdependence, and diversity, making them difficult to manage and control. Also, multiple stakeholders with diverse interests, objectives, and expectations are considered key factors contributing to the complexity of complex projects (Kerzner & Zwikael, 2017).
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: William's Model for defining Project Complexity
(San Cristóbal et al., 2018)
The model presented above manifests the complexity of projects concerning different factors. The project complexity is broadly categorized into two structural complexity and uncertainty. If the size and timeline of the project get more prolonged than expected, it may result in project complexity. William presented the model for defining the project complexity and providing guidelines to the project managers to reduce the extent of project complications. Complex projects are like usual projects.
Complex projects have a lot of stakeholders, and every stakeholder has their concerns. It is practically impossible for a project manager to cater to every stakeholder's needs and requirements of every stakeholder. The goals and objectives of complex projects need to be well-defined for stakeholder satisfaction and the successful completion of the project. Since this is the age of the latest technological tools, efficient project managers employ the latest technological tools for completing complex projects. Several tools like work breakdown structures, team activities, and Gantt charts.
If the project objectives and goals are not well-defined and the stakeholders face specific issues while collaborating, it may increase the extent of project complications. With increased project complications, the project's overall budget also gets raised, which creates financial and cultural issues for the project. Some new stakeholders are included to raise the project cost and the overall budget. With the inclusion of new stakeholders, cultural constraints get increased, which increases the complications in a project. Thus, it is imperative for the project manager to clearly define the project goals and objectives and determine the right stakeholders.
Some factors turn simple projects into complex projects. Complex projects are based on different factors that decide the complexity of such tasks. Some of the major factors include:
* The adoption of the technological tools which are selected for completing a project also determines the level of complexity in projects. Several software and specialized tools are used in projects to meet them perfectly, but if the project team does not know how to deal with such software, it may raise the complexity of projects.
* Similarly, the project's cost and overall budget also decide the project's complexity. Usually, projects with more extended deadlines tend to inculcate higher prices than expected. Due to economic uncertainty, the cost and the project's budget fluctuate, thus enhancing the project's complexity.
* Similarly, the risk factor associated with the projects also determines the project's Complexity (Willumsen et al., 2019). The higher the investment, the higher the risk, which raises the level of complexity in a project.
* Stakeholders' concerns play a significant role in determining the extent of the complexity of projects. The number of participants, their concerns, and the level of their responsibilities determine the complexity of the projects. Indeed, stakeholders have a significant role in a project, from raising capital to project completion. The higher the number of stakeholders, the higher the chances of substantial conflicts in projects which eventually raise the level of complexity in the projects.
* Legal extent also determines the level of complexity in projects. In some countries, many red-tapisms are involved, which requires high investment by the investor to clear his project status (Arther, 2020). The strength of stakeholders, technological tools, and cost of the projects is increased to cater to the legal needs, which overall increases the project complexity
Different studies show that effective stakeholder management can reduce the extent of challenges associated with complex projects. Robust project management, project planning, and risk management skills are required to deal with complex project challenges (Community & England, 2020). The following skills are needed to handle complex projects:
* Sound communication is required to communicate all project-related tasks with team members. Without practical communication skills, complex projects cannot be handled easily. The project managers are responsible for assessing and covey the project demands of the team members. With effective communication, the team members feel free to discuss any issues associated with the project and, thus, can deliver the project on time.
* Competent leadership is another critical skill required for managing complex project-related tasks. As complex tasks involve more risk factors and many stakeholders, only competent leaders can tackle them. With more inclusion of stakeholders, cost, and the timeline for the project, the leaders' competency faces many challenges. The project managers have to deal with several run-time errors for the smooth running of the projects.
* The flexibility and adaptability of the project managers also play an essential role in uplifting the morale of the team members. The employees need to have flexible working timings and a suitable working environment. The project manager, who caters to the flexibility and adaptability needs of the team members, is more prone to complete projects on time. Work pressure, time, and cost are high in complex projects. To deal with run-time issues, project managers must manifest flexibility and the ability to get the best productivity from their team members.
Every project involves challenges, but the extent of challenges is linked to different factors, including the cost, stakeholders, and economic and social conditions of a society. A simple project can be turned into a complicated one by incorporating undue expenses and uncertain economic conditions. Societal culture also plays a significant role in complex projects and can affect project delivery through cultural norms and values on team interactions. Cultural assumptions affect biases in decision-making and problem-solving. Also, cultural expectations and values affect stakeholder engagement and communication. It is essential for project managers and team members to be aware of these cultural influences and to take steps to manage them effectively to ensure the project's success.
To deal with such issues, project managers tend to prepare a contingency plan to sustain the running projects. In any uncertain situation, the project managers focus on the contingency plans and manage to sustain the projects.
3 Responses to Questions
1 Importance of Complex Projects
Complex projects also exist to drive innovation and progress in society. By tackling complex problems and achieving specific goals, complex projects can lead to discoveries and advancements that can benefit the community in several ways. For example, complex projects in the fields of medicine and technology can lead to new treatments and technologies that can improve people's health and quality of life (Meneguel et al., 2019). Complex tasks in the areas of energy and transportation can lead to more efficient and sustainable systems that can benefit the environment and support economic development.
In addition to these reasons, complex projects also exist to meet the needs and demands of different stakeholders. These stakeholders may include individuals, organizations, and governments affected by or have a stake in the project (Harrin, 2019). Complex projects are often necessary to meet the needs and demands of these stakeholders because they require the negotiation and alignment of diverse interests and perspectives.
Similarly, complex projects ensure the development of all the related sectors. Without the progress and development of complex projects, no sector can succeed. With the initiation of complex projects, several job opportunities are created that support the local community. Also, the overall economy of a country gets develops with the development of complex projects.
Project complexity is essential to be determined before the project planning. The goals, objectives, stakeholders, and a project's overall budget are significant in analyzing the project's complexity. All the infrastructural developments in a country, infrastructure, and construction are developed through the initiation and successful...