Project owner involvement for information and knowledge sharing in uncertainty management

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the communication of uncertainty information and knowledge between the project manager, owner and steering group. The purpose of the project is to identify the effects of project owner and steering group involvement in the process of uncertainty management. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data are based on a qualitative case study with in‐depth interviews following a semi‐structured approach. The building of new frigates, a project in the Royal Norwegian Navy, is studied. This is a large public technology project, with a great deal of media and public attention from Norwegian society. Findings – The project owner and steering group involvement in the project's uncertainty management process were identified. The interviews revealed that uncertainty information and knowledge have frequently been communicated and shared. The results indicate that this has reduced the asymmetric information problem between the parties. This involvement has also contributed to building a collaborative, respectful, professional and trusting relationship between the parties. Another effect that was found is that the project owner has learned about uncertainty management and developed uncertainty consciousness. Moreover, the data indicate that the uncertainty information has helped the project owner develop a holistic view for improved decisions. Research limitations/implications – Future research should investigate other scenarios, types of projects, cultures and countries, so that these findings may be generalized. Practical implications – The paper concludes that project owner involvement and communicating uncertainty information are important for the effective management of uncertainties and achieving project success. Originality/value – The involvement of the project owner and the communication of uncertainty information between the project manager and the owner are studied in this research paper.