An Analysis of How Different Project Management Methodologies Facilitate Timely Project Delivery from a Sensemaking Perspective

Abstract

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, timely project delivery is crucial for maintaining competitive advantage and achieving organisational goals. While project management methodologies such as Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid provide structured frameworks for managing projects, the cognitive processes underlying decision making and problem-solving are equally important. This research investigates the connection between Karl Weick's notion of sensemaking and the aspects of various project management methodologies, examining how sensemaking processes influence timely project delivery. The study aims to bridge the gap between procedural project management methods and the cognitive processes that support them. By incorporating Weick's seven characteristics of sensemaking identity creation, retrospection, enactment, social, ongoing, extracted cues, and plausibility over accuracy into the analysis of project management methodologies, this research offers a more comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to timely project delivery. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews by utilising a sample of 26 individuals from the field of software engineering. This research contributes to the development of more comprehensive project management frameworks that integrate procedural and cognitive elements together.