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Project failure occurs due to several reasons, but complexity and underestimation of complexity are often seen as the cause. Because of the interdisciplinary character of projects, it seems that project management approaches are not sufficient to deal with the complexity of projects. Therefore the interdisciplinary aspect has to be considered and managed appropriately, which brings us to the following research question: “How can project managers combine tools and techniques from project management approaches and discipline oriented approaches, for managing multidimensional complex projects successfully?” First a number of management approaches are selected and classified, in order to identify the focus and steps of the approaches. Next, complexity is taken into account, where it becomes clear that complexity in construction projects can be assessed by the TOE framework, while on a meta level the complexity elements of the ASC framework can provide insight in the complexity of projects. Expert interviews were conducted to identify the extent to which different management approaches support mapping and managing project complexity elements. The results point out that the Project management body of knowledge scored weak in dealing with actors, support tools and involving the context elements of a project. Finally, some techniques of other management approaches which score better are presented in order to enhance the project management approach for dealing with complex projects.

The development of flexible neighbourhoods, by using research from complexity theory and analysis of historical neighbourhoods.

Ever since sophistication of technology and human desire for a better, more comfortable and luxurious life have started to converge, it has had a direct impact on the way engineering projects are approached and handled. This is especially true since the second half of the previous century. A natural consequence of this is that conventional project management approaches are increasingly coming under stress. One thing that can be generally assumed to have happened is the increase in project complexity. However, the understanding of complexity by professional bodies and academia still seems to be at an early stage. This affects all industries and sectors, be they civil, electrical, manufacturing, IT or any other. As an example, we can look at the process and energy industry, with the oil sector being a case in point. Easily accessible oil fields have long since been discovered forcing new reservoirs and discoveries to be made in remote areas, deep seas or in complex forms like tar-sands. This research was undertaken to increase understanding of the role of project complexity in project management and its influence on the chances of achieving a successful project. This study focused on application of the new TOE framework on identifying and understanding the different elements (fifty in our case) of complexity, how they can be potentially grouped together into clusters of influence (fourteen in our case), contributing towards the three dimensions of complexity (Technical, Organizational and Environmental). The separate effect of these three dimensions on five common success criteria of cost, schedule, quality, safety and future business prospects was investigated. Also, the computed complexity dimensions were compared with a general perception of these three dimensions in the experience of the respondents to see the extent of the fit. To do this a survey was distributed to project managers in the member companies of the NAP network, a competence network of the Dutch process industry. The online survey contained questions on the interviewees’ most recent finished project. Through the survey, data was acquired on 67 projects performed in the NAP network. This data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate statistical techniques. Owing to the characteristics of the data, non-parametric analysis technique was used. The results of the study show the potential usefulness of application of TOE framework in project management research. The relationships found also have practical implications for project management in the NAP network and the process industry. It was shown that project complexity negatively influences project success, with technical and organizational complexity playing the most significant part. It was shown that cost and schedule were two categories of success showing the most susceptibility to complexity, whereas quality, safety and future business prospects showed resiliency towards any kind of complexity to a large extent. From the literature review, several observations were compared with the results of the thesis, showing interesting moot points. Confirming (Kloppenborg & Opfer, 2002), all types of risk have been shown to be of influence on the project result. It has been shown that the opinion of (Thomas & Mengel, 2008) that expert project management has not been paid too much attention is also confirmed by our results. Lack of planning is also shown as potential cause of project failure as indicated by (Dvir, Shenhar, et al., 2003). The biggest surprise was to find that project size has no correlation with project result, thus disproving (Collyer & Warren, 2009).

This theoretical research project is set out to explore and analyse the cross-cultural and relational complex (Healey, 2006) social processes that constitute and guide the development of conceived environment. The evolving question has been 'how interventions in social systems guide and shape a course of development'. How complete is design research in responding to context? How can context be conceived, what dimensions and levels of context should be measured, how does context change and what does it mean that the same context can result in differing individual experiences? What aspects of context will be foregrounded and which aspects dissolve to the background? That is, since choice situations tend to be a selection which is accompanied by a non-selection, how de we know what to focus on and when the most important (or least important) aspects of context are the subject of consideration? Hence, a key issue in this research has become the evolution of normative frameworks which guide the selection and interpretation of context. In this, a sociological approach is followed to the understanding and development of conceptualized norms which tend to guide development processes (Habermas, 1984, Freire, 1970, Healey, 2006). The sociological term refers to the way that normative concepts for shaping action are produced and evolve through relational processes.

The ongoing urban plans and designs in China may have provided an improper model of making cities. They do not consider the complex nature of city and take little into consideration of the welfare of people. Then, the question comes, what is a proper model of building cities? A city serves as a receptacle of life. There are various lifestyles co-existing in a city. They can be categorized into scales, e.g., global scale (L), local scale (S) and those in between (M). A good city should give places and provide diverse choices for all the lives happening together and interacting with each other. In this sense, the vitality will be achieved. On the other hand, a city is an emerging systems with its own internal growing force. Therefore, the diversity can not be simply imposed by designers’ own wish. It has to be reached by embracing the self-organization process of the city. Therefore, to achieve the real diversity (L, M, S), the study considers Complexity Theories of Cities as one of the theoretical bases. It tries to search for an innovative approach, through which the self-organization process of cities could be properly guided and facilitated.

In high-tech industries, projects play a central role in the development of new products and processes. Since these projects can be quite complex, it would be useful to look at where complexity in projects comes from and how these complexities influence these projects. The research project described in this thesis aims to increase the understanding of this topic in a company in the semiconductor industry, NXP Semiconductors. Products that are produced in the semiconductor industry play an increasingly important role in our lives. Products ranging from mobile telephones to cars to lighting are all equipped with semiconductor products and the performance of these products is steadily increasing with time. Therefore, the development of these products and the processes, which are needed to produce the products, are becoming more complex. The research project To describe the complexities that are encountered in the process engineering industry, a framework (the TOE framework, where TOE stands for Technical, Organizational and External) was developed earlier. The TOE framework consists of 47 elements (which are categorized into the three aforementioned categories) that describe aspects that can contribute to a project’s complexity. To understand the complexities that are encountered in the semiconductor industry, this research project has applied the TOE framework to this industry. The goal of this research project is twofold: firstly, it aims to understand where complexities in projects in the semiconductor industry come from; secondly, it would be useful for the company if the company would be able to understand which complexities could play a role in a future project and this could be used to come with the right measures to cope with these complexities. The main research question that this research project aims to answer is: What benefits does the application of the TOE framework provide for projects at NXP? This question is answered by doing a combination of desk research and case studies on projects in the company. In the desk research phase, the current practice related to development projects at NXP is investigated and a tool is described that calculates the design complexity of a new product design: Numetrics. Case studies To understand what complexities play a role in NXP projects, 16 projects have been investigated. The projects that are studied are from a wide variety of departments within NXP, but all projects (except for one) involve development of a new product or process. From each project, one person (the project manager) was interviewed. During the interviews, these project managers were asked to explain what the project entailed, which complexities were encountered during the projects, what influence these complexities had on the project and how the project managers coped with the complexities. The project managers were asked to indicate too which degree the complexities in the TOE were applicable to the project and if any complexities were missing in the framework. The complexities in the TOE framework that scored highest on the TOE scoring list are: - Involvement of different technical disciplines - Technical risks - High project schedule drive - Level of competition These high scoring complexities reflect the image that development projects in the semiconductor industry require multidisciplinary teams, that technical risks are often high (since it is not always known whether certain solutions will provide the required functionality), that there is high drive to develop new products quickly and that there is a high level of competition on the market. Next to the complexities that are directly related to the TOE framework, interviewees were also asked to share their views and experiences with the Numetrics system. A number of observations and recommendations with respect to this system are presented in this thesis. Adaptation and application of TOE From the original TOE framework, five elements were considered to be not applicable to the projects by the interviewees. These elements are not present the adapted version of the TOE framework for use at NXP. The interviewees also indicated that a number of complexities were missing or not precisely enough described in the TOE framework. In total 13 elements are added to the existing framework (4 technical, 5 organizational and 4 external elements). These adaptations lead to a new version of the TOE framework, that is modified to meet the situation at NXP. A preliminary version of a score chart is made, on which a project manager can indicate which complexities could be present in a project that is under planning. However, further research would be needed to successfully implement the application of TOE in practice. A possible way of applying TOE would be to use a similar approach that is taken by Numetrics – a tool that is currently being used at NXP to assess the design complexity of product developments. Since the relevance of Numetrics is limited to product development projects, the TOE approach would have an added value by also addressing other types of projects, such as process developments. Next to the version of TOE that is adapted to meet the needs of NXP, a suggestion is made for the inclusion of four new elements, which were the result of the case studies that were performed in this research project. Conclusions The research project shows that the possible application of the TOE framework could have benefits for NXP. As the case studies show, complexities can have a large influence on the project’s execution and success. Therefore, a tool that can assess the complexity and sources of complexity of multiple types of (development) projects would be of value to the company. Recommendations Towards the company, a number of recommendations are given. Firstly, although the BCaM framework is of much value to the company, one of the outcomes of the interviews was that the time between gates can be quite long. This can have a negative effect on the focus in the project team and including more steps into the system would increase the focus in the team. Secondly, we believe that the implementation of TOE in the planning phase of projects can add value by giving the project manager insight into the types of complexities that are expected to be encountered in the project under planning.

Obtaining an understanding in the dynamics of project complexity and the suitable management approach to deal with complexity by studying the Bergermeer Gas Storage project at TAQA Energy B.V.

A method is presented that allows for a life cycle assessment (LCA) to provide environmental information on an energy infrastructure system while it evolves. Energy conversion facilities are represented in an agent-based model (ABM) as distinct instances of technologies with owners capable of making decisions based on economic and environmental information. This simulation setup allows us to explore the dynamics of assembly, disassembly, and use of these systems, which typically span decades, and to analyze the effect of using LCA information in decision making. We were able to integrate a simplified LCA into an ABM by aligning and connecting the data structures that represent the energy infrastructure and the supply chains from source to sink. By using an appropriate database containing life cycle inventory (LCI) information and by solving the scaling factors for the technology matrix, we computed the contribution to global warming in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents in the form of a single impact indicator for each instance of technology at each discrete simulation step. These LCAs may then serve to show each agent the impact of its activities at a global level, as indicated by its contribution to climate change. Similar to economic indicators, the LCA indicators may be fed back to the simulated decision making in the ABM to emulate the use of environmental information while the system evolves. A proof of concept was developed that is illustrated for a simplified LCA and ABM used to generate and simulate the evolution of a bioelectricity infrastructure system.

This paper aims at answering the question: How can we explain the evidently unstoppable growth of regulations for planning and building? The answer to this question is of relevance, since we have been (and still are) confronted with the negative consequences of an overly complex and comprehensive legal framework for planning and building. This does not only apply to the Netherlands but to many (if not all) other countries as well. This paper shows that a variety of factors is responsible for the ever growing complex of rules for planning and building. Important reasons for growth of regulations are: (1) the liberal interpretation of the principle of legality, (2) the rise of the welfare state, (3) the failure to deregulate and (4) the law of increasing complexity. The prospects of limiting or reversing the growth of regulations are bad. According complexity theory any addition to the system will make it more complex and instable. This will eventually lead to a collapse of the system. Only once that has happened, a new and less complex system may be established.

There has been a growing understanding in the Netherlands and in the UK that sustained area based interventions are needed to address the multiple forms of deprivation concentrated in some neighbourhoods. Not-for-profit housing associations contribute to the regeneration of these neighbourhoods, each within the context of their national housing system. In both countries housing associations developed from traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ landlords into social entrepreneurs. They not only undertake social housing projects but have also widened their activities to include more commercial projects and to address social and economic deprivation. More and more housing associations see vibrant communities and a commitment to create live chances for residents as a core part of their mission. This paper explores and compares the changing roles of Dutch and UK housing associations in neighbourhood renewal as organisations with a hybrid position between state, market and society. Applying a network governance perspective developments on a national level are explored. This is supplemented with more detailed data from an on-going longitudinal research on the role played by housing associations in neighbourhood renewal. The paper concludes with a discussion on the future role of housing associations in neighbourhood regeneration considering the harsh economic climate and the policies of the currents Dutch and UK centre-right governments. Both administrations emphasise localism and a more dominant role for citizens and civil society while simultaneously implementing drastic austerity measures.

This paper presents a bright future for quantitative System Dynamics Modeling. This future relates to all major issues and grand challenges which all happen to be dynamically complex and deeply uncertain. Combining System Dynamics Modeling and Exploratory Modeling and Analysis allows one to generate, explore and deeply analyze tens of thousands of plausible scenarios related to such deeply uncertain dynamically complex issues, and to design and test adaptive policies over all plausible scenarios. By doing so, the art of System Dynamics becomes the computational science of System Dynamics. This innovative approach is explained in this paper starting from the core of System Dynamics modeling, and is illustrated with real world applications (pandemic shocks, resource scarcity, and energy transitions). However, more is needed than the brightest analysts and the best analyses for decision makers to decide and take action when facing uncertain complex issues: that is what experiential System Dynamics gaming is needed for. Only when heart and mind are aligned will knowledge and understanding become effective. The use of experiential System Dynamics gaming for conquering the heart of decision makers is illustrated with real world examples too.

We investigate the computational capabilities of Web browsers, when equipped with a standard finite automaton. We observe that Web browsers are Turingcomplete. We introduce the notion of a navigational problem, and investigate the complexity of solving Web queries and navigational problems by Web browsers, where complexity is measured by the number of clicks.

Population growth and immigration increase the demand for mass housing developments all over the world. These developments are widely criticized for being mono-functional, mono-typological, and mono-cultural. This project is a design method for a new kind of mass housing. All design rules are reformulated as algorithms, that interact with each other. Important input for the design rules is the future dweller. This leads to a bottom up, dynamic process, providing each dweller with a well fitted house, in a differentiated environment that provides public space and services. The geometry is optimized to use material as efficient as possible, which would be possible in the near future with full scale 3-D printers that are being developed at the moment.

This graduation project offers an alternative to the tradition in top-down planning in the Netherlands. The test-case for this strategy is the transformation of former industry area ‘Schieoevers’ in Delft. Both a spatial framework and a policy framework are created to support bottom up development of this project location. The spatial framework is an urban design of the main networks and the policy framework are the rules for developing an area enclosed by this network. The bottom up development is a form of self-organization in which a group of private and public initiatives can develop an area (unit) of the project location. The ‘Schieoevers’ will be developed into a pedestrian-based neighbourhood with a mix of living and working on a small scale. The rules for self-organization should guide the development in this desired direction. To test the bottom up strategy for densification three games where organized to simulate the self-organization process.