Link to thesis - Concept - NTNU

7. ConclusionsFlexibility categorisationsThe following is a short summary of findings related to the applied flexibilitycategorisations.Planned flexibility versus actual flexibility approachesApproaches to project flexibility have been analysed over time. In the studies, therewas a need to make a distinction between planned and actual approaches to flexibility.Approaches to flexibility changed during the projects. Actual approaches turned out tobe different from planned approaches.Internal flexibility versus external flexibilityAnother distinction was made between internal and external project flexibility. Whenflexibility is discussed in the literature and in general, it is most often related toexternal flexibility, referring to adjustments of project scope. This was also the casefor the early work on this thesis. Project internal flexibility relates to flexibility withina defined scope – how requirements are to be met. Particularly, analyses ofstakeholder approaches to flexibility are highly dependent upon whether internal orexternal flexibility is the subject of discussion. Internal and external flexibility areresponses to contextual and internal uncertainty. However, internal flexibility is notlimited to being a response to internal uncertainty. External flexibility can be, butdoes not have to be, a response to contextual uncertainty. All combinations of the twodimensions can be found.Flexible decision process versus flexible final productsProject flexibility was divided into flexibility in the decision process and the productmay interact for any given project. For the purpose of categorising flexibility, adistinction between the flexibility types has been meaningful. This thesis has alsomade an attempt to study the interaction between flexibility in decision processes andthe product. It was expected that flexible final products would compensate for lessflexible decision processes and vice versa. The results show that this interaction is notas visible as first expected. This may be due to the small sample of projects. It mayalso be an indication that flexible projects utilise both flexible products and flexibledecision processes, rather than emphasising one of these dimensions at the expense ofthe other.Perspectives of analysisThe results indicate that project flexibility is perceived differently depending onwhose view one takes, and which part of a project’s life cycle is subject to analysis.StakeholdersAs mentioned above, incentives open to stakeholders affect their approaches toproject flexibility. Flexible projects have been presented as a blessing and curse. Oneaspect of this duality is that the flexibility for one project stakeholder can be anotherstakeholder’s risk. Project internal flexibility appears to be particularly desirable toproject managers and contractors. Project external flexibility is more likely to belooked upon favourably by users and project owners, than by project managers andcontractors.36