Divide Et Impera: Structuring design science projects

Design Science (DS) has attracted growing interest in entrepreneurship and innovation research in recent years. Typically implemented through projects, DS projects are often complex and challenging to manage. This study explores how DS projects can be effectively structured to support several tasks for DS project management particularly regarding the division of research tasks and the allocation of project resources. We present a framework that segments the content of DS projects into small, well-defined, and individually manageable research components. The framework enables researchers to assign resources strategically, assess the balance of research output, schedule and monitor activities systematically, and adapt to changes in scope and objectives during project execution. To illustrate the framework's practical utility, we draw on a case study involving the development of an innovative blockchain-based solution for VAT settlement in Denmark. Additionally, we evaluated the framework's general applicability by comparing it against ten DS projects described in the scientific literature. This is complemented with a discussion of how the framework can be embedded into the DS project management process according to established projects management standards. The evaluation results support our claims about the framework's broader applicability and its potential to improve DS project management.