Mats Engwall

No project is an island: linking projects to history and context

Theories on project management are dominated by a perspective on singular projects, treating the unit of analysis as a lonely phenomenon. Anchored in a comparative case study, this paper discusses how the interior processes of a project are influenced by its historical and organizational context. The paper illustrates how the structures and procedures employed in a project have to be understood in relation to previous and simultaneous courses of activity, to future plans, and to standard operating procedures, traditions, and the norms of its surroundings. The findings suggest that future research on project management needs to extend its temporal scope, analyzing how project practices evolve through history over prior, present, and future projects, as well as its organizational scope, analyzing how project practices relate to long-term institutions as well as simultaneous activities in its environment.

The resource allocation syndrome: the prime challenge of multi-project management?

This paper explores the nature of organizational settings, where a large extent of the operations is organized as simultaneous or successive projects. Anchored in qualitative case studies, the paper analyzes why the resource allocation syndrome is the number one issue for multi-project management and discusses the underlying mechanisms behind this phenomenon.

Peripety in an R&D Drama: Capturing a Turnaround in Project Dynamics

This article examines the process dynamics of a complex R&D project, which for a long period of time had suffered from little technical progress, then abruptly became highly structured and effective. The article examines the mechanisms behind this dramatic turnaround and discusses its implications for research and practice. Drawing on the dramaturgical concept of ‘peripety’ (‘moment of sudden change’), the article captures how the turnaround came about due to the emergence of the participants’ shared conceptualization of the project mission. The article provides insights into the process dynamics and sensemaking in complex R&D projects and demonstrates how time and evolution need to be included in the analysis of project management and temporary organizations.

The Project Concept(S): On the Unit of Analysis in the Study of Project Management

The predominant approach in defining the project concept is to stipulate its critical qualities in a short, universal definition. However, for students of empirical projects, this approach is void. If the project is the unit of analysis, such definitions are not instrumental for demarcating the project from its environment. Furthermore, the qualities of these definitions are ambiguous and relative; more closely related to the perspective of the student than to the phenomenon (“the project”) in focus. In practical use there are at least two different points of departure for a project definition; in relation to (1) an object or (2) an actor. The differences between the two are significant. They not only constitute different perspectives, but also different fields of research.

PERT : Polaris and the realities of project execution

Purpose – The general purpose of this paper is to give Sapolskys classical study of the Polaris Project, written in 1972, the credits it actually earns. In addition, there are two more specific aims: to discuss the role and usage of project management techniques, such as PERT (programme evaluation and review technique), in the practices of project execution; and to display the power of thorough empirical case studies in order to deepen our understanding of the realities of project execution.Design/methodology/approach – The paper constitutes a detailed review of the content and contributions of the book The Polaris Systems Development written by Harvey M. Sapolsky in 1972. The paper presents the main ideas of the book and discusses its implications for contemporary project management research.Findings – Sapolskys work, The Polaris Systems Development, is an important account of some of the most significant courses of events in the birth and formation of project management, especially the creation of PER...

Matching Service Offerings and Product Operations: A Key to Servitization Success

OVERVIEW: Many manufacturers are moving to servitization, but making that move successfully requires considering the underlying business logic of a division or product. Differences in existing conditions, such as product characteristics or other business attributes, may determine success in transition to a services-based business model and create challenges for a firm moving, for instance, from a spare-parts model to advanced service contracts. Our study pinpoints a number of key product attributes that define how far a company can move up the service ladder. The findings suggest that the Power-by-the-Hour model pioneered by Rolls-Royce suits products that constitute critical ancillary input to, and not essential elements of, customers’ core processes; that require low initial investments relative to high total costs of ownership; that are used in controllable operating environments with measurable performance requirements; and that are associated with high risk and high costs in the event of failure. Further, the service delivery system must be integrated and orchestrated to be product-specific—that is, aligned with the function and operating conditions of the product in use.

Mechanisms of Isomorphism in Project-Based Organizations

This article challenges the dominant assumption of goal rationality behind temporary organizations’ design in project-based organizations (PBOs). While extant literature posits that organizations strive to select the most appropriate project arrangements to fit particular task requirements at hand, findings from an in-depth ethnography-inspired case study suggest that projects in PBOs tend to imitate each others structures, strategies, and practices with little consideration of the potential performance effects. Building upon the new institutionalism, this article conceptualizes the PBO as an organizational field of temporary and permanent organizations embedded in wider organizational and institutional fields and explicates isomorphic processes among temporary organizations in PBOs.

Internal Visibility of External Supplier Risks and the Dynamics of Risk Management Silos

This paper investigates the factors behind silo-based risk management practices in organizations. Based on interviews with different actors working with the supply management processes within and across different organizational levels in a major multinational manufacturing corporation, it reveals how silos of risk management activities are formed. The findings show that there are profound differences in risk visibility between different actors due to differences in their hierarchical levels, organizational positions, and business contexts. Drawing on the theoretical lenses of bounded rationality and contingency theory, the paper reveals how these differences in visibility create silo-based risk management processes and discusses the pros and cons of such configurations. It concludes that silo-based behaviors are inherent features of any complex organization and that the implications of managing risks in silos are strongly influenced by the types of dependences (positive or negative) among risks. Therefore, it is elemental for organizations to be aware of this phenomenon and configure their risk management processes accordingly based on the dependences among the various risks to which the organizations are exposed.