A Meta-theoretical framework for theory building in project management

Abstract

Theory building is a central goal in most research disciplines, and it is difficult to overstate the importance of theory in a research endeavor. This paper builds on a study of theory building in several disciplines so as to: (1) synthesize it into a framework, and (2) support the development and evaluation of theory in project management research. Four types of theory, prescriptive, descriptive, predictive, and practice, are presented. Four 'classic' papers are used as a retrospective illustration of applying the framework. The paper concludes with a broader discussion regarding the ongoing debate about building better theory in the project management discipline.