Title: Digitalisation as a means to streamline project knowledge transfer

Authors: Lars Petter Sjøvold; Giuseppe Marinelli; Wenche Aarseth; Kirsti Sundfær Stubbe; Tomm Erik Svennebø Sandmoe; Haavard Haaskjold

Addresses: LAG Entreprenør AS, Russervegen 6, 7650 Verdal, Norway ' Business School, NORD University, Road Traffic Division, Norway ' Business School, NORD University, Norway ' Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF (Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust), Strandvegen 29, 7670 Inderøy, Norway ' Department of Digitalization and Infrastructure, NORD University, Postboks 2501, 7729 Steinkjer, Norway ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Abstract: Organisations and their projects today are in the middle of a change process due to digitalisation and transformation. These changes challenge today's practice in most industries and have several implications for project managers. The digitalisation change also includes possible positive implications. One of the areas is more knowledge transfer between projects, which has been a challenge for decades. Therefore, this study's research question was, "how can digitalisation help streamline knowledge transfer between projects?" The study chose a qualitative research method with 14 in-depth expert interviews and qualitative data coding. The research revealed three elements required for knowledge transfer to be efficient: first, to implement a digital strategy that reflects the achievement goal. Second, focus on change management to incorporate an organisational culture for sharing and learning, and third, structure knowledge so that tacit knowledge is transformed into explicit knowledge. Competitive advantages can be gained through the digitalisation of knowledge transfer in projects.

Keywords: digitalisation; project; knowledge transfer; project management; stakeholder; tripod model; digital transformation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.150139

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2025 Vol.17 No.4, pp.353 - 372

Received: 01 Oct 2024
Accepted: 10 Jul 2025

Published online: 01 Dec 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article