Complex vs Complicated: what’s the difference?

Something is complex if, at the start, you cannot know how it will turn out.

It is complicated if it is difficult to see the final picture at the start, but an expert could work it out by examining it.

It’s basically about the amount of certainty you have over the outcome.

How to proceed

If you want to do well, you usually need to apply very different approaches to working in these two domains.

As such, it’s extremely valuable to know what you’re facing.

Is this complex or complicated?

The handy Cynefin guide gives us an idea of how to identify and proceed with the two (plus other) domains.

However, if you sometimes struggle to remember (like me) and you’re interested in etymology (also like me) here’s another way to try and remember the difference between the two words.

It’s all about carpets

Do you know Latin? I don’t but this still helps me remember things:

Complicated comes from the Latin word complicare. This word means to roll something up in a carpet.

This was often done in the Roman Empire to transport items like furniture from one place to the next.

You can’t see what is wrapped up in the carpet, but with some expertise and care, you can unwrap the carpet and see what’s inside.

Basically you can analyse the situation and work out what’s going on.

In alia manu

In comparison, complex comes from the Latin word complexus, which means interwoven, which is also like a carpet.

You can only know the full situation when it is completely pulled apart, thread by thread. Things will only become fully apparent at the very end.

Essentially you can’t know what the outcome will be at the begining and it doesn’t matter what expertise you have on hand. You might have a rough idea, but you can only see the full picture when you have completed all the work.

When the situation is complex, you can’t come in and use predictable best practise because you don’t know what the best way forward will be. You need to experiment, explore and learn as you go.

This sort of environment is becoming increasingly common in the world around us. And it’s very much suited to Agile ways of working.

I thoroughly recommend more reading on the Cynefin framework.

But if you find it hard to remember the difference between complex and complicated, I hope this little foray into Roman carpets might help you recall the difference in the future.