The staging model: The contribution of classical theatre directors to project management in development contexts

This paper derives principles of staging projects as they emerged in theatre tradition and as they have been formulated by important directors, especially by Reinhardt, Stanislawski, and Brook. The four principles which are proposed to form the staging model for the management of product development projects are: the play–director–actor fit as a criterion for selecting projects, text interpretation as a model for interpretive planning, rehearsals as a novel way to frame meetings during project implementation, and the premiere as the most motivating goal of projects under the conditions of uncertainty, dynamisms, and a lack of goal clarity. The relevance of the model for the management of product development projects is discussed.