Means to Classify the R&D Projects on the Criticality Dimensions

The evaluation of the complexity of research and development (R&D) projects is critical for the successful management of projects. In Defence, R&D projects could be classified as mission mode (MM) projects, technology development (TD) projects, science and technology (S&T) projects, infrastructure facilities (IF) projects, and product support (PS) projects. This study is focused on the assessment of the complexity in the five categories of the R&D projects, and it is based on the survey (with about 179 respondents) undertaken by considering about 40 attributes. The purpose of this exercise is to rank the five types of projects based on their complexity. A series of algorithms such as K-means clustering, analytic hierarchy process, modified TOPSIS method, and Henry Garrett ranking technique were applied to arrive at the results. Thus, a scenario analysis framework in terms of different methods is portrayed to select the appropriate ranking of the critical project.