Purpose – The general purpose of this paper is to give Sapolsky's classical study of the Polaris Project, written in 1972, the credits it actually earns. In addition, there are two more specific aims: to discuss the role and usage of project management techniques, such as PERT (programme...

Research into product development and temporary organizations has focused largely on structures and actions that are designed and planned in advance. Starting from three case studies, this paper illustrates the way organizations deal with unanticipated problems by the ad hoc launching of...