Abstract
Purpose: In this conceptual paper, the argument is put forward that due to the complexity that characterises most project environments, it is now time to examine alternative notions of project outcomes.Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is conceptual in nature and draws upon literature on complexity theory, expectations theories and stakeholder theory.Findings: The paper finds that there is a need to articulate a different assessment of project outcomes than has been traditionally undertaken. Such assessments may emphasise the perceptions of project clients formed through their experience of projects throughout the project lifecycle.Implications: This paper raises questions on whether the outcomes of projects are best ‘measured’ or ‘assessed’.
Highlights
It appears that scholars are acknowledging the ever-growing complexity of the business environment (Javidan et al 2010; Selmier & Oh 2011; Teagarden 2012)
Funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the initiative focused http://www.actacommercii.co.za on developing a research agenda aimed at driving the discipline of project management beyond its existing conceptual foundations (Winter et al 2006)
The main ethos of the rethinking project management agenda was not to emphasise the much broader discipline of project management but, according to scholars such as Sauer and Reich (2009), to ensure that the project management profession focused on ensuring that project management practitioners developed appropriate personal qualities and mind-set that will facilitate such rethinking
Summary
It appears that scholars are acknowledging the ever-growing complexity of the business environment (Javidan et al 2010; Selmier & Oh 2011; Teagarden 2012). The application of complexity theory to project management offers an opportunity for scholarship to re-examine how project http://www.actacommercii.co.za outcomes are perceived, when balancing project performance (business and commercial benefits) and project progress (time, cost and quality).
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