Flexible problem solving in construction projects on the National Museum of Australia project

In responding to unanticipated challenges during the course of a project, lessons from crisis management research can be valuable. Effective project management requires both a proactive and reactive strategy in dealing with unanticipated and challenging events. A key element of success is developing a learning culture, which permits flexibility within a systematic problem‐solving approach. We indicate how this can be achieved using a crisis management model and use data gathered from the National Museum of Australia project to demonstrate the potential benefits of a learning which encourages solution‐building by teams.