Apparent complexity is often just the number of moving parts: the number of visible problems a situation presents. Real complexity is the number of genuinely independent variables — the things no other variable determines. The degrees of freedom.
We measure complexity on the number of degrees of freedom the situation has, and not part count. With experience and proven playbooks, part count is often just a time and cost issue not a risk parameter. Knowing how to access this complexity arbitrage is a source of quality alpha.
Opportunities that look complex and difficult can drive out competing capital because the number of moving parts ratchet up the perceived risk profile. We focus on the degrees of freedom the project has and, of those, which are the most difficult to influence.