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Exploration of the Complex Ontology

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the established definition of words in the English language, is at odds with other definitions of complexity proffered by Complexity Theory. This variance is likely to cause confusion in the delivery community. The incorrect classification of a project between ‘complicated’ and ‘complex’ is considered by some to be a major source of project failure; implying that resolving this issue is critical to successful system development. This paper explores the definition of complexity by assessing definitions from various sources and by conducting a survey of over 100 delivery professionals. The results demonstrate the extent of the confusion and have informed considerations on how to resolve this. This paper recommends that the definition is either defined at the start, or that the term is avoided by using its component parts. This paper proposes supporting an emerging definition that resolves many of the issues, if adopted widely.