Analysis of subjective complexity through managerial situations throughout the trajectory of projects in SMEs

Although project management literature has extensively documented the objective dimensions of complexity, it does not enough explain how complexity is subjectively constructed and transformed by stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. In particular, research largely ignores the role of managerial situations. This research attempts to address this gap by using projects within SMEs as its empirical context. Based on a questionnaire survey of 154 stakeholders involved in SME projects in France, this research employs factor analysis, analysis of variance, chi-square tests, and TwoStep classification, conducted using SPSS and XLSTAT software. The results reveal that the nature of managerial complexity varies depending on the project phases. Situations of ‘ambivalent’ complexity, the most destabilizing one, are primarily observed during the emergence and implementation phases, while situations of ‘imposed’ complexity are more concentrated in the upstream feasibility and design phases. Conversely, perceived and routinized forms of complexity appear more frequently during the termination phase, suggesting an evolving dynamic in the manifestations of complexity throughout the project phases. The study contributes to understanding how the perception of the complexity of managerial situations varies according to the phases of a project by proposing appropriate managerial support to manage them effectively.