Title: A cybernetic ontology for project management

Authors: Frank Stumpe; Polinpapilinho F. Katina

Addresses: Group KBC, EWB-CVP, Egide Walstraat 3, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium ' Department Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, Old Dominion University, 2101-N Engineering Systems Building, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA

Abstract: Project management is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria. However, there can exist a considerable amount of uncertainty in decision-making for project management stemming from the typical complex characteristics of projects. This study focused on two primary objectives: 1) to understand the role of project management in complex situations; 2) to offer a more robust model for project management. Pertinent literature on models for project management was collected and synthesised for application in complex situations. A cybernetic-based model is then developed. This model enables a manager to focus on internal organisational complexity while paying enough attention to external perturbations. The utility of the model is demonstrated in a case application in an organisation in Belgium.

Keywords: ABS project management; ontology; cybernetic management; complex systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSE.2017.083937

International Journal of System of Systems Engineering, 2017 Vol.8 No.1, pp.42 - 73

Received: 27 Oct 2016
Accepted: 13 Dec 2016
Published online: 26 Apr 2017 *

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