The contribution of the group process to successful project planning in R&D settings

There are very few empirical studies in the project management and R&D literature comparing the relative effectiveness of groups versus individuals in developing a project plan. This study focuses on this issue and two aspects of planning effectiveness — quality and acceptance. Members of 80 groups completed a simulation, the Project Planning Situation, first individually and then as interacting groups. The results show that the quality of the project plans developed by the groups was significantly higher than the average quality of the plans developed by members working independently. The groups' plans also were better than those that were derived through nominal techniques. It is open to question, however, whether the groups' plans were always superior to those of their “best members.” The effectiveness of the groups in planning is related to the two basic elements of group process — rational and interpersonal. The rational elements of process determined the quality of the plan and the interpersonal factors were associated with the groups' acceptance of the project plan. The management implications of these findings are discussed.