Books and journals Case studies Expert Briefings Open Access
Advanced search

To which extent do projects explore the opportunity space? : A study of conceptual appraisals and the choice of conceptual solutions

Knut Samset (Department of Civil and Transport Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway)
Bjorn Andersen (Department of Production and Quality Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway)
Kjell Austeng (Department of Civil and Transport Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway)

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business

ISSN: 1753-8378

Publication date: 27 May 2014

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore a selection of projects to understand how conceptual appraisals and choice of concepts are handled, and to which extent the conceptual opportunity space is exploited.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is essentially case based, and rooted in a number of in-depth studies of single-project cases. Its study combines information from document studies with interview data, and culminates in normative recommendations.

Findings

The study found that the projects do indeed not exploit the opportunity space to a very large extent. The lessons from the present study is that the final choice is determined more by decision makers than the analysts, and will often be the result of policy and preferences more than objective reasoning. Which again suggests that the efforts as analysts will often be in vain.

Research limitations/implications

These findings could influence theoretical models outlining project establishment and decision processes.

Practical implications

The study has identified many shortcomings in public sector processes that could be utilized to alter such processes.

Originality/value

The study is original in that it focusses on the concept development phase of projects, rather than the traditional execution phase, and has studied decision processes.

Keywords

  • Choice of concept
  • Conceptual appraisals
  • Project front-end

Acknowledgements

The research has been financed by the Concept research program. The program received several research proposal, and steering group evaluated these to select projects to receive financing. Concept was not involved in the execution of the study.

Citation

Samset, K., Andersen, B. and Austeng, K. (2014), "To which extent do projects explore the opportunity space? : A study of conceptual appraisals and the choice of conceptual solutions", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 473-492. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-08-2013-0038

Download as .RIS

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes

You may be able to access teaching notes by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us

To read the full version of this content please select one of the options below

You may be able to access this content by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
To rent this content from Deepdyve, please click the button.
Rent from Deepdyve
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us
Emerald Publishing
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
© 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited

Services

  • Authors Opens in new window
  • Editors Opens in new window
  • Librarians Opens in new window
  • Researchers Opens in new window
  • Reviewers Opens in new window

About

  • About Emerald Opens in new window
  • Working for Emerald Opens in new window
  • Contact us Opens in new window
  • Publication sitemap

Policies and information

  • Privacy notice
  • Site policies
  • Modern Slavery Act Opens in new window
  • Chair of Trustees governance statement Opens in new window
  • COVID-19 policy Opens in new window
Manage cookies

We’re listening — tell us what you think

  • Something didn’t work…

    Report bugs here

  • All feedback is valuable

    Please share your general feedback

  • Member of Emerald Engage?

    You can join in the discussion by joining the community or logging in here.
    You can also find out more about Emerald Engage.

Join us on our journey

  • Platform update page

    Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

  • Questions & More Information

    Answers to the most commonly asked questions here