Synthesizing extreme context studies in project management journals: introducing a time-based project management typology

PurposeThe present article analyses extreme context studies published in leading project management journals with the aim of developing a time-based typology that could be of value for the project community at large.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors reviewed 62 articles on extreme contexts published in three main project management journals (IJMPB, PMJ and IJPM) and two specialized outlets Disaster Prevention and Management (DPM) and International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE).FindingsThe authors present a typology, in which emergency, risky and disrupted (RED) contexts are related to the manageability of time. It shows that when pressure rises, due to high levels of urgency, uncertainty and ambiguity, control over time decreases, causing the organizational response to shift from formalized into improvised.Research limitations/implicationsBased on this review, the authors theorize the influence of extreme contexts on project management in general.Originality/valueThe study responds to the scholarly call to advance the academic debate on the relatedness of project and temporary organizations by perceiving temporality as a continuum.