Design and implementation in major investments — A project network approach

Abstract

Many investments in modern society take place in project networks. This article proposes a project network approach for describing the design and implementation processes in major investments. The design process of major projects is “fuzzy”, takes a long time, and is hard to capture. The implementation process, on the other hand, takes place in “semi-hierarchical” networks, and is easier to plan and control. The actor that controls the transformation of the political design process into the implementation process has a unique strategic position in the dynamically changing network. This means linking processes that are characterized by separate logic and network structures. Data from processes of design and implementation of three shopping malls illustrate the theoretical framework.