Critical Analysis of a Systematic Review Article

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Introduction and Purpose of the Study
Activities are executed as projects in organizations by governments and industries as a means to take advantage of the formality of processes and best practices associated with being characterized as a project (Geraldi, Maylor, & Williams, 2011, p. 966). According to Geraldi, Maylor, and Williams (p. 967), despite the promotion of “best practices” by professional program management associations that use of their methods lead to positive project outcomes, improved performance is not consistently realized. The authors argue that the associations’ one size fits all approach to best practices is insufficient for project success and thus conducted systematic research (SR) to determine if something else is the cause of project success.
The current paper will present a critical analysis of the 2011 article, “Now, let’s make it really complex (complicated)” (Geraldi et al.). The analysis will review the authors’ justification for the study and the transparency and rigor demonstrated in the five common systematic research phases described by Gough, Oliver, and Thomas (2012, p. 8).
The reader will find this paper has two main sections and a closing. The first will provide the previous discussed critical analysis and then a brief summary of the overall value of the systematic research. The second provides the current author’s reflection on his approach to his dissertation.
Critical Analysis
The purpose of Geraldi’s et al. (2011, p. 967) SR is to increase understanding of the context in which work is accomplished, the nature of an organization’s response within that context, and its impact on project success. Moreover, they sought to understand the conceptual model that treats complexity as an i...

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... that one cannot expect to blindly accept research. All aspects of the study are open for scrutiny.

References
Briner, R., B., & Denyer, D. (2012). Systematic review and evidence synthesis as a practice and scholarship tool. In D. M. Rousseau (Ed.), The oxford handbook of evidence based management (1st ed., pp. 112-129). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Geraldi, J., Maylor, H., & Williams, T. (2011). Now, let's make it really complex (complicated): A systematic review of the complexities of projects. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 31(9), 966-990.
Gough, D., Oliver, D., & Thomas, J. (2012). An introduction to systematic reviews. London: Sage.
Gough, D. (2007). Weight of evidence: A framework for the appraisal of the quality and relevance of evidence. Research Papers in Education, 22(2), 213-228. doi:10.1080/02671520701296189

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