Projects and the interplay between ends and means - A case study of an inter-organisational research project

Introduction Literature focusing on projects typically applies a perspective on them as isolated from their contexts in time and space (Engwall 2003). In particular, the growing literature on project management typically describes projects as discretely and consciously designed and planned organisations. Project managers are hence instructed to "explicate and operationalize the goals of the effort, to define and analyze the work breakdown structure, to coordinate implementation by comprehensive planning, to supervise the work processes towards task accomplishments, etc." (Kreiner 1995:335). Consequently, how to manage projects by setting clear-cut goals and through designing project processes have become strong themes in the project management literature. However, authors rooted in organisational theory have pointed at problems in these assumptions and recommendations. For instance, Hellgren and Stjernberg (1995:378) argue that most projects include phases and aspects where normative project management tools don’t apply since projects are “...processes of organizing where ends and means are continually redefined in the interactions of actors”. In a similar vein Engwall (2002) argues that project goals may be important in order to get projects started but that the meaning of project goals evolves during the project and that it is impossible to know in beforehand how a stipulated goal will turn out. Literature focusing on behavioural aspects of projects and their social environments has provided inspiration for this paper. However, rather than focusing