Exploring the governance role of interface management in addressing project complexity of large-scale engineering projects

Purpose Project complexity gives rise to interorganizational risks, which can have an immeasurable negative impact on project performance if applicable governance strategies are not in place. Although formal interface management (IM) has been implemented by large-scale engineering projects to manage the complex organizational relationships involved, there remains a lack of comprehensive investigation into the role and performance of IM in complex project management. Given this circumstance, this paper aims to understand the effectiveness of IM in projects from the perspective of governing project complexity. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts the TOE (Technical, Organizational, and Environmental) complexity framework to differentiate three dimensions of project complexity. It also illustrates the performance risks associated with each dimension of project complexity and proposes hypotheses for the effectiveness of IM under each category of project complexity. Data on project complexity, IM, and project performance were collected through a questionnaire survey and empirically tested by the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM). Findings According to empirical analyses derived from questionnaire surveys and PLS-SEM, it is found that the positive impact of IM on project performance is significantly more pronounced in scenarios characterized by high project complexity across various dimensions compared to those with low project complexity. This indicates that effective IM can serve a crucial governance role when confronted with elevated levels of technical, organizational, and environmental complexity, thereby substantially enhancing project success and overall performance. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the future direction of project complexity and interface management. On the one hand, it helps to find the effective governance boundary conditions of IM in complex projects. On the other hand, the challenges and risks posed by project complexity are theoretically elucidated, laying a foundation for identifying appropriate strategies to effectively manage project complexity. This research also emphasize the effectiveness of IM in dealing with complex projects and examines its role in managing various aspects of project complexity in different engineering project contexts.