Title: Design thinking and project management: an analysis of the relationship between its characteristics

Authors: Daniel De Salles Canfield; Maurício Moreira e Silva Bernardes

Addresses: Graphic Design, School of Visual Arts, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Av. Esperança, s/n, Câmpus Samambaia – Goiânia – GO – CEP 74690-900 – Brasil ' Department of Design and Graphics, School of Architecture, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, R. Sarmento Leite, 320 – Centro Histórico – Porto Alegre – RS – 90050-170 – Brasil

Abstract: Design Thinking (DT) and Project Management (PM) have received significant attention from the academic community. Yet, there is a lack of rigorous studies that have identified the complementary nature of these methods. To address this gap in knowledge, this study aims to identify and relate the key characteristics of DT and PM. A triangulation was established between the data from the literature, email interviews, an online discussion forum, a workshop and interviews with experts in DT and PM. The result shows that the DT and PM characteristics identified are highly compatible and complementary. This study can be used by scholars and practitioners in the fields of DT and PM to understand the main characteristics to be adopted and practiced by project participants, thus serving as a guide for recruiting and training them.

Keywords: design thinking; project management; characteristics; compatibility; complementarity.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2021.124219

Journal of Design Research, 2021 Vol.19 No.4/5/6, pp.250 - 272

Accepted: 12 Nov 2021
Published online: 18 Jul 2022 *

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