Projects to Succeed Fivefold Once Complexity is Perfectly Managed, Study Shows

By Mbungu Harrison

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Projects are more likely to succeed fivefold when organisations effectively manage complexity according to new research released by the Project Management Institute (PMI). It also highlights growing concerns over delays and delivery challenges across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The findings come at a time when African countries are pursuing ambitious programmes in infrastructure development, digital transformation, energy expansion, fintech innovation and public-sector reform.

PMI’s latest Pulse of the Profession report, titled, “Driving Success in Complex Projects: From Navigating Tasks to Navigating Systems,” reveals that project complexity is increasingly undermining successful delivery leading to missed deadlines, slower decision-making and mounting pressure on teams.

The global study, which surveyed project professionals and senior leaders in 35 countries, found that 81 per cent of respondents believe projects have become more complex in recent years with 37 per cent describing the increase as significant.

According to the report, the growing complexity stems from a combination of organisational, environmental and human factors, including the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, changing stakeholder expectations, economic uncertainty and increasingly interconnected systems.

Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing some of the sharpest impacts.

The study found that 44 per cent of organisations in the region reported missed delivery deadlines, significantly higher than the global average of 35 per cent.

Delays in stakeholder decision-making were also more prevalent in the region affecting 41 per cent of projects compared to 34 per cent globally.

Researchers noted that these delays often create governance bottlenecks, slowing approvals, reducing alignment among stakeholders and hindering execution.

The effects are also being felt within project teams. About 23 per cent of respondents from the region reported declining team morale as a result of poorly managed complexity, compared to the global average of 19 per cent.

“These findings reflect the realities many organisations across Africa are already facing,” said Mr George Asamani, managing director of PMI Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Africa is currently undertaking some of the world’s most ambitious transformation agendas, from infrastructure and industrialisation to digital inclusion, energy access, fintech innovation and public-sector reform. But as the scale of ambition grows, so does the complexity behind execution.”

The MD noted that many organisations were discovering that traditional project management approaches focused primarily on schedules and task completion are no longer sufficient.

“Success today depends on the ability to navigate interconnected systems, align stakeholders quickly, adapt to change continuously and build resilient teams capable of operating in uncertainty.”

The report identifies three primary sources of project complexity.

The first is organisational complexity, characterised by unclear governance structures, siloed teams and competing priorities. The second is environmental complexity, driven by factors such as technological disruption, geopolitical shifts, regulatory changes and market volatility.

The third is human complexity, which includes competing interests, workplace dynamics and the social factors that influence decision-making and leadership effectiveness.

According to him complexity often emerges through seemingly routine challenges such as changing priorities, delayed approvals and conflicting stakeholder interests.

“Complexity does not always arrive as a crisis. It often appears through everyday project challenges. When these issues are not managed as part of a larger interconnected system, they can lead to delivery delays, strategic drift and increasing pressure on teams,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the report points to significant opportunities for organisations willing to strengthen their project management capabilities.

Globally, projects that effectively managed complexity achieved an 88 per cent success rate, compared to only 14 per cent among organisations that struggled to manage it.

The research identifies several practices associated with stronger outcomes, including securing executive sponsorship early, maintaining continuous stakeholder engagement, adopting structured frameworks for managing complexity, investing in scenario planning and sustaining team momentum during periods of uncertainty.

For Africa, where successful project delivery is closely linked to economic growth, social development and investor confidence, strengthening execution capabilities will be critical, PMI says.

“The future competitiveness of African economies will increasingly depend on the ability to execute at scale,” the MD said.

“Africa does not have an ideas deficit, and increasingly it does not have a capital deficit. What will determine whether this decade delivers on its promise is execution capability. Strong project leadership is the difference between transformation that happens on paper and transformation that changes lives.”

The findings underscore the growing importance of project leadership and complexity management as governments and businesses across the continent seek to translate ambitious plans into tangible results.