The Many Faces of Process Complexity

Process complexity is a widely used concept for analyzing and improving socio-technical processes, but the term is applied in inconsistent ways, and its conceptualizations and operationalizations are often ambiguous. As a result, the same process can appear highly complex under one operationalization and comparatively simple under another, fragmenting insights across research streams. To map and structure the various approaches to process complexity, we conduct a scoping review across three domains in which process complexity has been studied: information systems, organization science, and computer science. We identify 21 distinct operationalizations of process complexity and organize them along six levels of analysis (process, between-sequence, sequence, partial pattern, action pair, and single action). By expressing these operationalizations in a unified notation and characterizing each by its underlying computation and level of analysis, we provide a means for measuring, relating, and comparing different forms of process complexity. This multi-level understanding allows researchers to investigate trade-offs, tipping points, and optimal degrees of complexity across processes. We conclude with a reflection on the implications for information systems research and practice.