Projects have the potential to impact the living conditions or the health of people, plants, and animals. In addition to the potential impact to land, water, and air, the ecology includes the sights and sounds that can impact the quality of life. An increasing number of clients expect the project team to minimize the impact of the project on the ecology. An ecology that is more sensitive to disruption and a more disruptive technology will place greater stress on the project and increase the project complexity. Construction projects that require the use of explosions to effectively move rocks and dirt, projects that require the addition of twenty-five people in existing office space, and projects that require the release of strong odors like those from adhesives in an office environment will all impact the ecology. The project team develops means and methods to minimize the impact of the disruption in a manner consistent with the requirements as communicated by the client. The effort that is needed to minimize the ecological impact will influence the complexity of the project.
The ecology will also impact the execution of a project. The weather is an attribute of most construction projects. Construction projects in India are often scheduled around the monsoon season, and construction projects in the Caribbean consider the hurricane season. A project to build an offshore wind farm will require an understanding of the ocean currents, the wind currents, and temperature fluctuation to understand the impact of the ecology on the project execution plan.
The larger the number of potential ecological attributes and the greater the impact of each attribute, the greater the influence on the project complexity.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The external attributes are the relative size of the project, duration of the project, and the available resources.
- The internal attributes are the clarity of its scope, the complexity of the organization, and the agreement among stakeholders.
- The technological attributes are the technology of the product (not the technology used to manage the project), the newness of the technology, and the familiarity of the team with the technology.
- The environmental attributes are the legal issues, cultural conflicts, political interests, the impact of the project on the ecology, and the impact of the ecology on the project.
EXERCISES
- The external attributes considered in the DPCI are relative size, , and available resources.
- The internal attributes considered in the DPCI are clarity of scope, complexity of the organization, and agreement among .
- The technological attributes considered in the DPCI are of the technology and familiarity of the team with the technology.
- The environmental attributes considered in the DPCI are , cultural, political, impact on the ecology, and impact of the ecology on the project.
- Under what circumstances would a large project qualify for a low DPCI score?
- Describe an organization structure that would receive a high score for complexity.
- Does the technology attribute refer to the technology used by the project team or the project itself?
- Give an example of a cultural problem that would have a high-complexity score.
- Give an example of an ecological problem that would have a high-complexity score.
- What is the difference between an external and an internal attribute in the DPCI?
Behind the Scenes
Stanley Portny 1 advocates that as a project manager, you research the source of a project to determine who had the original idea by asking questions of your boss, reading meeting minutes and feasibility studies, and checking other correspondence and contacts. The purpose of this investigation is to find out who is most likely to champion the project if you have trouble, who opposed the project, or whose interests will be harmed by the project. Consider this advice in light of the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index and answer the following questions:
- Is this an external, internal, technological or environmental attribute? Explain your reasoning and refer to the definitions provided. A case can be made for putting it in more than one.
- What might you find that would increase the project’s complexity and what might you find out that would reduce the complexity? Provide examples of each.
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