Imperfections-as-Practice: Projects as Becoming Processes of Imperfections

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

This article provides an alternative conceptualization of a project as a series of becoming processes of imperfections. Through a longitudinal ethnography of a Research and Innovation Project, our study uncovers that imperfections emerged as uncertainty, ambiguity, unknown, and emergence over time. These emerging imperfections enacted project managers to focus on retaining, reframing, exploring, and embracing the project in time. Our findings advocate an imperfections-as-practice approach, which extends the projects-as-practice perspective by focusing on emerging imperfections. Following this, we suggest imperfect project management thinking, which allows project actors to embrace imperfections and make a project become successful.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProject Management Journal
Volume55
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)151-166
ISSN8756-9728
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Project Management Institute, Inc.

    Research areas

  • ethnography, imperfections-as-practice, in time, over time, project imperfections, project success, projects-as-practice

ID: 378189598