Relevance Found! The Result Perspective as a Basis for Practically Applicable Project Typologies

The purpose of this paper is to advance project theory on how distinctive significant characteristics in different project types can be identified and utilized for the effective management of projects and project portfolios. The since long dominating view that all projects can be managed using a standardized set of methods and techniques is insufficient, since the most apparent feature of projects is that each project is unique. Several attempts have been made to develop typologies for diagnosing projects. The process perspective, based on a rationalistic standpoint, has long been the prevailing perspective in both project practice and project research. This perspective has since the mid ninetieth been challenged by an organizational perspective. We argue that the “result perspective”, a trivialized perspective within the project research field, can be utilized to increase the understanding of the project phenomenon, and to identify distinctive characteristics in projects. Partly conceptual, and partly based on findings from case studies in three multi project environments carried out during a doctoral study 2004-2009, we describe a framework for a Structured Project Analysis (SPA) based on variations in project deliverables, goals and effects. Three analysis models are outlined: 1) Operational logics - based on variations in the character of the deliverables. 2) Strategic archetypes - based on variations in the project goal and effects. 3) Complexity - based on the nature of complexity in the project deliverables, goal and effects.