Storytelling as a support tool for project management

Abstract The transition from planning to implementation causes problems in many projects. Often, the varying purposes of the project and opinions of the interested parties about the project turn out not to harmonize with the way in which the project has been implemented, although the implementation complies fully with the original objectives. Allowances can be made for this situation if the management of the project take a greater interest in the stories within and around the project. These stories contain valuable information about the various official and unofficial expectations of the project, which are often a source of problems. There are many types of story to be exposed, and the process of exposure can be used to control the expectations if they are coordinated and a common story is created. This may also pave the way for a more positive reception of the finished project. The paper deals with the significance of project stories, which have so far been overlooked in project-management theory and practice, and it suggests a useful managerial approach. The aspects and methods discussed in the paper have been very effective in the development of strategies for the initiation, implementation, conclusion, marketing and evaluation of projects, and with general multicultural aspects/conflicts, which are experienced as particularly complicating factors in project management.