Ph 61 401991111 (8400 words)Indexing words: dynamism, dynamic, planning, emergent, iterative project management Abstract Rapidly changing environments are a newly recognized and increasing challenge in the field of project management. Traditional prescriptive approaches, orientated around process control, are considered sub-optimal in meeting this challenge. In this article, the authors present an exploratory theorybuilding study aiming to identify the project management approaches used by experienced practitioners to respond to rapidly changing environments. The results of thirty-seven semi-structured interviews with thirty-one participants across ten industries (i.e. construction, aerospace, international community development, pharmaceutical, defense, film production, startups, venture capital, research, and information technology) were analyzed according to the planning styles used. Results are discussed in the light of previous research and a model for better management in rapidly changing environments proposed.Pre-publish draft.
Rapid change is an accelerating problem for projects in most industries. This article presents findings from a grounded theory study identifying project management approaches for mitigating rapid change in the course of a project. These results relate to culture, communication, and leadership and are complimentary to results previously presented on planning and control for dynamic environments. The study employed 37 in-depth interviews and three focus groups held with practitioners across ten industries (defense, community development, construction, technology, pharmaceutical, film production, scientific startups, venture capital, space, and research). Themes emerged relating to: a vision led, egalitarian, goal-orientated culture supporting experimentation; timely and efficient communication; and flexible leadership with rapid decision making. The findings address a gap in the project management literature and may be useful to practitioners.
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