Replacing Project Manager: Reasons of Replacement Interpreted through the Activity Theory

In this study the reasons for replacing a project manager (RPM) during an ongoing IT project are classified. We give an interpretation on a project through the lens of Activity Theory (AT) and examine the tensions leading to RPM through the principle of contradiction in AT. We interviewed four experienced supervisors of three large project-based companies in the IT field, reviewed a previous study on RPM, and used the concept of contradiction to interpret the types of RPM. We found six types of reasons for RPM (e.g., the project manager has not achieved the defined objectives) and underlying the contradictions we identified interests of the client, the company and project manager which all affect to the emergence of RPM. Our results entail implications for research and practice on RPM.