A taxonomy of project barriers in complex projects

Failure in complex projects have motivated researchers and practitioners to investigate the subject in more details. However, while project failure has been the subject of much debate in complex projects, there is no review of its determinants. This study focuses on project barrier/ failure factors, published in the past 16 years, starting from the year 2000, in complex projects. A systematic review of project barriers in complex projects revealed that failure of complex projects could be grouped under eight major factors, namely: technical, economic, political, organizational, project contract, project design and implementation, project team and managerial. Discussion of the findings highlights the importance of understanding barrier factors to ensure successful delivery of complex projects.