Project Is as Project Does

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to further develop the processual approach in project management theorizing. The article introduces Gadamer’s (2004) play ontology as a novel perspective used to describe microactivities in a project environment. Play ontology refers to the back-and-forth movements of seemingly mundane microactivities as they unfold during a project. The findings of the study suggest that sensitivity to the microactivities allows considering dissonant or indecisive events as vital and constructive project elements. Play ontology offers new ways for conceptualizing a project as a process: as something that emerges through practical activities as a dynamic and complex phenomenon.