Exploring Project Complexity through Project Failure Factors: Analysis of Cluster Patterns Using Self-Organizing Maps

Table 8

Summary of patterns interpretation.

Pattern number	Focus attention	Interpretation
Pattern I	How the project is managed	This pattern of respondents links project complexity mainly with the characteristics of the project and how it is managed: the requirements are incomplete or inaccurate, with continuous changes, the specifications are badly defined and both costs and schedule are inaccurate. They consider also that the project staff changes entail a higher complexity.
Pattern II	Insufficient number of resources and unrealistic customer expectations	They emphasize the influence of unrealistic customer expectations and a wrong (it is supposed to be insufficient) number of people assigned to the project. It is curious that neither of them is apparently under their responsibility (under the hypothesis that the resources assigned to the project are a decision made by the organization managers).
Pattern III	Project manager and team members skills, competences and commitment	They have a more personalistic view of the complexity, with the role of the project manager and team members being decisive.