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Research in Project Management

In a world defined by rapid technological change and increasing complexity, the old ways of managing projects are often insufficient. Research is the engine that drives the evolution from outdated practices to modern, effective methodologies.

Why Research in Project Management?

In a world defined by rapid technological change and increasing complexity, the old ways of managing projects are often insufficient. Research is the engine that drives the evolution from outdated practices to modern, effective methodologies. Here’s why it's critically important:

  1. To Solve Real-World Problems: Practitioners face daily challenges—missed deadlines, scope creep, team burnout, failed digital transformations. Research isn't just academic; it's about systematically investigating these problems to find evidence-based solutions that actually work.

  2. To Bridge the Gap Between Theory and Practice: There is often a disconnect between what academic literature suggests and what happens in the office. Research helps validate theories in real-world settings and translates practical observations back into refined, teachable principles.

  3. To Adapt to Technological Disruption: The rise of AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics is transforming project management. Research helps us understand how to leverage these tools for better forecasting, risk management, and automation, rather than being overwhelmed by them.

  4. To Improve Success Rates: Despite advancements, many projects still fail. Research helps us identify the key success factors (and failure modes) across different industries and project types, allowing organizations to invest more wisely and execute more reliably.

  5. To Foster Continuous Improvement: Methodologies like Agile and DevOps are built on a foundation of introspection and adaptation. Research formalizes this spirit of continuous improvement for the entire profession, ensuring we don't get stuck in our ways.

Our Research Topics

Our research group focuses on the intersection of people, processes, and technology in modern project environments. We explore both the "hard" skills of methodology and the "soft" skills of leadership and collaboration.

1. Project Management (Fundamentals & Evolution)

  • The Future of the Project Manager Role: How is the role evolving from a "taskmaster" to a "strategic leader," "coach," and "value enabler"?

  • Hybrid Project Management: Investigating the most effective ways to blend predictive (Waterfall) and adaptive (Agile) approaches to suit complex project needs.

  • Leadership vs. Management: Studying the impact of emotional intelligence, stakeholder influence, and communication styles on project outcomes.

  • Project Portfolio Management (PPM): How can organizations best select, prioritize, and manage a portfolio of projects to maximize strategic value?

2. Software Engineering & Development

  • Measuring Developer Productivity: Moving beyond flawed metrics like "lines of code" to more nuanced measures of value, flow, and team health.

  • Impact of Technical Debt: Researching how technical debt accrues, its long-term impact on project velocity, and effective strategies for its management and repayment.

  • Effective Code Review Practices: Studying the processes and culture that make code reviews a powerful tool for quality and knowledge sharing, rather than a bottleneck.

3. Agile (Principles & Mindset)

  • Agile at Scale: Evaluating frameworks like SAFe, LeSS, and Nexus. What works, what doesn't, and what are the common pitfalls in large-scale Agile transformations?

  • The Psychology of Agile Teams: Investigating the conditions necessary for high-performing, self-organizing teams to emerge (e.g., psychological safety, autonomy, mastery).

  • Agile Beyond Software: How are Agile principles being successfully (or unsuccessfully) applied in marketing, HR, and other non-IT domains?

4. DevOps & Continuous Delivery

  • DevOps Culture & Metrics: Exploring the cultural changes required for successful DevOps implementation and identifying the key metrics (e.g., DORA metrics) that truly indicate performance.

  • Value Stream Management: Researching how to map and optimize the entire flow of value from idea to customer, identifying and eliminating bottlenecks.

  • Security in DevOps (DevSecOps): Investigating methods to effectively and seamlessly integrate security practices into the CI/CD pipeline without sacrificing speed.

5. Scrum (Framework-Specific Studies)

  • The Efficacy of Scrum Events: Deep dives into the Daily Scrum, Sprint Retrospective, and Sprint Review. What specific behaviors and practices make these events most valuable?

  • The Evolving Role of the Scrum Master: Is the Scrum Master a coach, a facilitator, a process authority, or all three? Researching the competencies that define a great Scrum Master.

  • Product Backlog Management: Studying techniques for effective backlog refinement, prioritization (e.g., WSJF), and creating clear, actionable user stories.

6. Project Management Office (PMO)

  • The Agile PMO / Value Management Office: How must the traditional, controlling PMO transform to support and enable Agile teams and value streams?

  • Measuring PMO Value: Developing frameworks to demonstrate the ROI and strategic value of a PMO beyond simple compliance and reporting.

  • PMO as a Center of Excellence: Researching the PMO's role in coaching, community building, and providing tools and templates that teams actually want to use.