Abstract

Symmetry: Culture and Science
Volume 33, Number 1, pages 069-094 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.26830/symmetry_2022_1_069

SYMMETRY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Dorota Kuchta^1*, Barbara Gładysz², Agata Klaus-Rosińska³

¹ Faculty of Management, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
E-mail: dorota.kuchta@pwr.edu.pl
ORCID: 0000-0003-3257-2460

² Faculty of Management, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
E-mail: barbara.gladysz@pwr.edu.pl
ORCID: 0000-0002-6625-9176

³ Faculty of Management, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
E-mail: agata.klaus-rosinska@pwr.edu.pl
ORCID: 0000-0003-4862-0500

^* *corresponding author

Abstract: The main purpose of the article is to propose the notion of symmetry and asymmetry in project management and present the results concerning the absence or presence of symmetry in the practice of project management. In the beginning, we distinguish five symmetry types, a)–e), in project management. In the next step, we present the results of research in which we investigated a project sample to find out what the frequencies of symmetries (and asymmetries) a)–d) are and how relevant symmetries of type e) are. We used a questionnaire measuring the occurrence of symmetries a)–e). A total of 350 organizations were surveyed, including 172 construction ones (49%). The respondents were selected among project managers or heads of the organizations. We considered practically for the first time in literature the notion of symmetry in project management and found out that the absence or presence of the specified five symmetries in projects is closely linked to project management, including risk and uncertainty management. We also showed that asymmetries of the types discussed here are substantially probable in practice and that it is important to spot them because they require or determine special approaches to project management.

Keywords: symmetry, asymmetry, project risk, project uncertainty, changes in projects.

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