IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i6p3020-d514148.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Framework to Evaluate Project Complexity Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS Method

Author

Listed:
  • Hadi Jaber

    (College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila, Kuwait)

  • Franck Marle

    (Laboratoire Genie Industriel, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, 3 Rue Joliot-Curie, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France)

  • Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal

    (Laboratoire Genie Industriel, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, 3 Rue Joliot-Curie, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France)

  • Ilkan Sarigol

    (College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila, Kuwait)

  • Lionel Didiez

    (Groupe Renault S.A., Strategy of Quality Management Department, 1 Avenue du Golf, 78280 Guyancourt, France)

Abstract

This work aims to help managers anticipate, detect, and keep under control complex situations before facing negative consequences. This article explores complexity modeling theory and develops a framework and associated score sheet to measure project complexity. A framework comprising ninety factors is presented and divided into seven categories: stakeholders, project team, project governance, product, project characteristics, resources, and environment. For the project complexity assessment grid, the project manager prioritizes and weighs its factors using linguistic variables. The score sheet is customizable in its handling of the factors and their weights. A critical state of the art on multi-criteria methodologies is presented, as well as reasons for using the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. This method provides early-warning signs with the possibility of comparing multiple projects. It also enables one to measure and prioritize areas and domains where complexity may have the highest impact. Practical applications on three projects within an automotive manufacturer highlight the benefits of such an approach for managers. Project managers could use both a project complexity rating system and a measure of risk criticality to decide on the level of proactive actions needed. This research work differs from traditional approaches that have linked proactive actions to risk criticality but not project complexity.

Suggested Citation

  • Hadi Jaber & Franck Marle & Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal & Ilkan Sarigol & Lionel Didiez, 2021. "A Framework to Evaluate Project Complexity Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-35, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3020-:d:514148
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3020/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3020/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Büyüközkan, Gülçin & Feyzioglu, Orhan & Nebol, Erdal, 2008. "Selection of the strategic alliance partner in logistics value chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 148-158, May.
    2. Sharon Novak & Steven D. Eppinger, 2001. "Sourcing By Design: Product Complexity and the Supply Chain," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 189-204, January.
    3. Bernard Roy, 2005. "Paradigms and Challenges," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys, chapter 0, pages 3-24, Springer.
    4. Sabrina Kirschke & Jens Newig, 2017. "Addressing Complexity in Environmental Management and Governance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Philip Anderson, 1999. "Perspective: Complexity Theory and Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 216-232, June.
    6. Guido Fioretti & Bauke Visser, 2006. "A Cognitive Approach to Organizational Complexity," Springer Books, in: Gianfranco Minati & Eliano Pessa & Mario Abram (ed.), Systemics of Emergence: Research and Development, pages 495-513, Springer.
    7. Herbert A. Simon, 1996. "The Sciences of the Artificial, 3rd Edition," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262691914, April.
    8. Gerardo Patriotta, 2017. "Crafting Papers for Publication: Novelty and Convention in Academic Writing," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(5), pages 747-759, July.
    9. Rocio Poveda-Bautista & Jose-Antonio Diego-Mas & Diego Leon-Medina, 2018. "Measuring the Project Management Complexity: The Case of Information Technology Projects," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-19, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. José Ruiz-Meza & Julio Brito & Jairo R. Montoya-Torres, 2021. "Multi-Objective Fuzzy Tourist Trip Design Problem with Heterogeneous Preferences and Sustainable Itineraries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Grażyna Bartkowiak & Agnieszka Krugiełka & Paulina Kostrzewa-Demczuk & Ryszard Dachowski & Katarzyna Gałek-Bracha, 2022. "Experiencing Stress among Different Professional Groups in the Context of Their Age," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Dai, Yijia & Chen, Xuanyuan, 2023. "Evaluating green financing mechanisms for natural resource management: Implications for achieving sustainable development goals," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).
    4. Yanhua Chang & Yi Liang, 2023. "Intelligent Risk Assessment of Ecological Agriculture Projects from a Vision of Low Carbon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khraisha, Tamer, 2020. "Complex economic problems and fitness landscapes: Assessment and methodological perspectives," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 390-407.
    2. Muir, Kristy & Michaux, Fabienne & Sharam, Andrea & Flatau, Paul & Meltzer, Ariella & Moran, Michael & Heaney, Richard & North, Gill & Webb, Eileen & Mason, Chris, 2018. "Inquiry into social impact investment for housing and homelessness outcomes," SocArXiv fcjbg, Center for Open Science.
    3. Amy Rosellini, 2020. "Effective Knowledge Transfer and Behavioural Change in a Training Environment," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Guido Fioretti, 2005. "Credit Rationing and Internal Ratings in the face of Innovation and Uncertainty," Finance 0504021, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Alan Hevner & Isabelle Comyn-Wattiau & Jacky Akoka & Nicolas Prat, 2018. "A pragmatic approach for identifying and managing design science research goals and evaluation criteria," Post-Print hal-02283783, HAL.
    6. Tobias Knabke & Sebastian Olbrich, 2018. "Building novel capabilities to enable business intelligence agility: results from a quantitative study," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 493-546, August.
    7. Sharon Novak & Scott Stern, 2009. "Complementarity Among Vertical Integration Decisions: Evidence from Automobile Product Development," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(2), pages 311-332, February.
    8. Sunder Shyam, 2011. "Imagined Worlds of Accounting," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-14, January.
    9. Ly, Kim Cuong & Liu, Hong & Opong, Kwaku, 2017. "Who acquires whom among stand-alone commercial banks and bank holding company affiliates?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 144-158.
    10. Kadziński, MiŁosz & Greco, Salvatore & SŁowiński, Roman, 2012. "Extreme ranking analysis in robust ordinal regression," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 488-501.
    11. Fiori Stefano, 2005. "The emergence of instructions : some open problems in Hayek's theory," CESMEP Working Papers 200504, University of Turin.
    12. McCown, R. L., 2002. "Changing systems for supporting farmers' decisions: problems, paradigms, and prospects," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 179-220, October.
    13. Jin P. Gerlach & Ronald T. Cenfetelli, 2022. "Overcoming the Single-IS Paradigm in Individual-Level IS Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(2), pages 476-488, June.
    14. Basile, Luigi Jesus & Carbonara, Nunzia & Pellegrino, Roberta & Panniello, Umberto, 2023. "Business intelligence in the healthcare industry: The utilization of a data-driven approach to support clinical decision making," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    15. Loris Gaio, 2005. "A diversity-based approach to requirements tracing in new product development," ROCK Working Papers 031, Department of Computer and Management Sciences, University of Trento, Italy, revised 13 Jun 2008.
    16. B. A. Huberman & N. S. Glance, "undated". "Diversity and Collective Action," Working Papers _001, Xerox Research Park.
    17. Zhewei Zhang & Youngjin Yoo & Kalle Lyytinen & Aron Lindberg, 2021. "The Unknowability of Autonomous Tools and the Liminal Experience of Their Use," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(4), pages 1192-1213, December.
    18. Sharon Novak & Scott Stern, 2008. "How Does Outsourcing Affect Performance Dynamics? Evidence from the Automobile Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(12), pages 1963-1979, December.
    19. Juval Portugali & Egbert Stolk, 2014. "A SIRN View on Design Thinking—An Urban Design Perspective," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 41(5), pages 829-846, October.
    20. Chia-Nan Wang & Ngoc-Ai-Thy Nguyen & Thanh-Tuan Dang & Chen-Ming Lu, 2021. "A Compromised Decision-Making Approach to Third-Party Logistics Selection in Sustainable Supply Chain Using Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy VIKOR Methods," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-27, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3020-:d:514148. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.