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Critical Thinking · DSIB

Common Indicators of Complexity Affecting Safety-Critical Decisions and Project Performance

Read against your own project

How does your organisation carry complexity?

15 typical risk factors in complex engineering projects. None of them is unusual. Most projects carry several at once, split across disciplines, contracts and phases, so they are rarely consolidated under one risk register.

Read them against a project you are running now, or one that did not close the way it was planned.

Mark the ones you recognise. You will get generic feedback from DSIB, tailored to the conditions you select, to raise awareness on your project. Your answers will not be recorded.

Indicators / Risk Factors

Governance, Ownership, and Decision Alignment

As projects become more complex, governance over responsibilities and decision making can become increasingly difficult to define and maintain.

Indicators / Risk Factors

Assurance, Reviews and Contractual Tensions

Independent reviews and assurance activities are not always explicitly and systematically embedded within project governance frameworks and contractual arrangements.

Indicators / Risk Factors

Late Design Decisions

Many operational challenges originate from deficiencies in design readiness for safe operation, and from the absence of a proper design safety management system.

Indicators / Risk Factors

Interfaces, Integration and Hidden Risk

Some of the most significant project risks emerge at the interfaces between service providers, and from the loss of a holistic view needed to safely integrate the design into the existing system.

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