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The purpose of this paper is to identify the most important IT project management resources and capabilities, and rank them according to the extent to which they are valuable, rare and inimitable.

Using a Delphi methodology, the data collection process was conducted with the collaboration of members of academia and professionals with expertise in IT project management.

The top ten most important resources/capabilities in IT project management were identified, the majority of which were capabilities; 80 per cent of the identified resources/capabilities were the same in the panel comprised of members of academia and the panel of professionals. Results showed that the two most valuable, rare and inimitable IT project management resources/capabilities were: the capability to understand and manage the needs, expectations, priorities and interests of project stakeholders; and the firm's capability to align IT projects to the strategy and business objectives of the organization.

This research guides managers in the development of key IT project management intangible resources/capabilities.

By simultaneously identifying a bundle of important IT project management resources/capabilities, evaluating the extent to which each resource/capability is valuable, rare and inimitable as well as displaying coherence between the results from the different steps of the Delphi method, the resources/capabilities identified in this study are likely to be those few that actually can influence the competitive advantage of the firm. Also, by demonstrating the less important role played by IT resources/capabilities, this study demonstrates that project management is a field of its own.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the origins and nature of unexpected events that affect complex projects, by relying on a view of projects as social systems. The authors argue that the project relation to its environment is mediated by a model of this environment that is embedded in the communications between project participants. The adequacy of this model to the causal texture of the environment inspired a first, epistemological, dimension for characterizing events: event predictability. The nature of the boundaries between system and environment inspired the second dimension: locus of generation.

This study followed a multiple‐case study approach. The authors collected data in 17 complex projects, in three types of industries: construction, IT/IS, and pharmaceutical.

In total, nine categories of unexpected events were identified from the intersection of two dimensions: event predictability and locus of generation.

The empirically validated two‐dimensional framework sheds new light on the way organizations react to unexpected events and on the reasons for the eventual project performance.

The findings show that project managers tend to underestimate certain risks. This research will help managers better predict those types of risks. However, some risks are simply unpredictable, therefore the authors argue for the necessity to prepare projects for the unforeseen.

Analyzing the previous literature in unexpected events, the authors identified two main, but opposing, theoretical perspectives: one rooted in decision theory and the other that sees projects as social systems. The value of this paper comes from the original mode in which the authors propose to reconcile these perspectives, by viewing projects as networks of communicative couplings between actors.

The purpose of this paper is to report on findings from a doctoral thesis examining value for money in alliance projects. It provides a summary of the thesis findings, explains the thesis author's doctoral journey and the context of both the thesis and the university program.

The methodology of the thesis reported upon here utilised a combination of interviews with domain experts, reflection on practice and a Delphi panel to develop and refine a value for money/best value outcome model for alliance projects. The thesis research approach is described in this paper.

Results from the thesis indicate that a robust model for demonstrating value for money in an alliance project is feasible and the model was both developed and tested through the Delphi panel.

The paper's findings achieve two ends. First, the paper presents a summary of an important development in project alliancing practice; second, the paper adds to the body of knowledge surrounding the motivation and “lived experience” of mature professional doctoral candidates when balancing demanding careers and doctoral‐level study.

This research expands the conceptual view and practical assessment of value for money in project alliancing.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the systems integrator type project‐based companies integrate knowledge of different sub‐systems.

Initially, essential theoretical information is presented by reviewing the concept of systemic view. After that follows illustrations of the concepts of knowledge and knowledge integration. Then, the implications for project‐based companies acting as systems integrators through knowledge integration are discussed through the concepts of interaction, interface element, absorptive capacity, and motivation to transfer knowledge. The paper ends with a section on conclusions.

The main finding is: the existence of systems integrator type project‐based company can only be understood through systemic view, i.e. through relationships between parts and wholes.

Finding a viable perspective and approach, with which project‐based companies acting as systems integrators can ensure that knowledge integration takes place efficiently, is a very important issue. Therefore, it is suggested that the systemic view provides a basic approach through which understanding of project‐based companies' knowledge integration may be advanced.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between risk management and uncertainty and the contextual variability of risk management practice. More precisely, the research empirically measures the relation between the extent of use of risk management and the level of project uncertainty.

The research defines risk management from an empirical perspective., i.e. from an empirically‐identified set of tools that is actually used to perform risk management. This toolset is derived from the results of an ongoing major worldwide survey on what experienced practitioners actually do to manage their projects. This paper directly relates uncertainty to the degree of project definition. It uses a sample of 1,296 responses for which the interplay between risk management and uncertainty could be measured.

The results are very coherent. They verify and empirically validate many of the propositions drawn from a review of the literature. But results challenge some of the propositions found in the conventional project management literature and some commonly held views. The research shows that the use of risk management practices and tools is negatively related to the degree of project uncertainty. This somewhat counter‐intuitive result is consistent with a general tendency for all project management tools and techniques to be used more intensively in better defined contexts.

The empirical investigation of actual risk practices and their contextual variability can help better understand risk management practice and manage risks better. The research also clarifies the concepts of uncertainty, risk and risk management.

The results confirm some well‐known assumptions about practices, but at the same time produced unexpected results that can stimulate the development of new practices adapted to highly uncertain contexts. The project management field needs to develop new responses for specific contexts for which it was not primarily developed. The results of this research point in the direction of such a need for ill‐defined projects and highly uncertain contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Technology has enabled a growing number of people to work from home, a development which was predicted a generation ago by many futurologists.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.