Bo Strangert (RD13)

Perspectives on projects for R&D: Some issues to be contemplated

Planning of R&D projects is the theme of some collected lecture notes and exercises reported in A2 (Applied Research Methods for Development Projects). It is an introduction to the crucial inter-dependency between concept development and experimentation (CD&E) for projects on complex tasks or goals. Specifically, the discussion concerns how to structure project planning to advance innovative development work without giving up scientific rigor.

Initial plan and management of a project

The general problem is elaborated in a collection of short notes about the necessity of carefully structuring the initial plan and management of a project (RD 1-12). The straightforward thesis is that innovation is about how to handle task uncertainty by enabling a diversity of ideas and knowledge resources in addition to means for integrative structuring of planning. General arguments for the use of preliminary formal and theoretical tools at the beginning of a project are summarized in RD11. A corresponding discussion about how to prepare coordination of planning and development work is outlined in RD12. Project management is treated as a process of gradual structuring from a theoretical and methodical baseline, including means of command, control, and communication (C³).

Some possible needs of further discussion and in-depth exploration

Are the principles of objectivity and empirical confirmation relevant in development work? The scientific method itself with roots in natural science has been questioned by some representatives of social science and the humanities. For example, proponents of social constructivism have criticized some basic methodical foundations of mainstream empirical science, including the requirements of reliability and validation of empirical results. The criticism rejects the common demarcation line between theoretical and empirical propositions, which is a cornerstone of the presentation of R&D approaches in Applied Research Methods of Development Projects, for instance.

The debate is especially crucial for issues about complex social practices and systems. Therefore, it is important to discuss and examine the proposed objections.

How is innovation related to the contexts of discovery and justification in R&D?  A theme in the reasoning so far is that innovation should be advanced by frequent pivotal interactions between CD and E from the very beginning of projects characterized by task uncertainty. Conventional evaluation paradigms are unsuitable for R&D in projects with large task uncertainty. Thus, the selection and design of appropriate methods, tactics, and strategies for that purpose are imminent and should be pursued.

Why is there a need for joint theoretical and empirical perspectives on complex tasks? The answer lies in the characteristics of complex adapted systems as context-dependent sets of diverse interacting components in states of uncertainty and dynamic change. Accordingly, there are many possible perspectives to consider. The following points may be among the first ones to contemplate and try to clarify:

– The discussion so far has concentrated on project planning in general and taken little account of substantial project tasks or goals. Real qualities of tasks and goals play a significant role and influence planning. One question is how such differences in qualities should be taken into account. In what respects should we adjust principles of project planning to various qualities and activities, for example, in military and social services, judicial systems, or municipalities?

– Psychological and social attributes of complex adaptive systems entail complications for investigation and control. Many features are fuzzy or non-transparent and therefore difficult to observe or infer. For instance, the reliability and validity of results from interviews and self-reports cannot be taken for granted and should be interpreted in relation to independent data sources of cognitive processes. What are the requirements for using multi-method approaches? And how could the sciences of cognition and organizations contribute to modeling in practical applications?

– Because many complex systems consist of unique combinations of conditions, the utility of population statistics for analysis is negligible. Case-based reasoning and theoretical generalization should be used instead of statistical generalization. This requires qualitative modeling and methods of advanced case study research. What exists of suitable methods and what must be devised?

– Any project is but a single component in a diverse societal context. What about the role of context when forming a perspective of planning? Are there any general findings of how development projects challenge or adjust to prevailing contexts?

References on this website

Försöksmetodik för utvecklingsansvariga i Försvarsmakten.

Applied research methods for development projects.

R1-R12 – Elaborations of the case study approach to R&D.

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