There is no shortage of literature on managing complex projects. However, we lack an understanding of projects in which the complexity goes beyond technical, financial and time-related challenges. We report on two Nordic business school accreditation projects, where the major management challenge is the knowledge boundaries institutionalized deep into the ethos of the schools. We focus on the project team’s use of boundary objects – a communication device across social groups – to expose and overcome knowledge boundaries materializing at temporary-permanent interface. We identify three progressively more challenging boundary object uses: informative, interactive and integrative. Consequently, we suggest a dynamic approach to boundary objects wherein their use evolves throughout the project life span as a consequence of the lived “in situ” experiences.

关于管理复杂项目的文献不乏。但是，我们对复杂性超出技术，财务和时间相关挑战的项目缺乏了解。我们报告了两个北欧商学院的认证项目，其中主要的管理挑战是深化学校精神的制度化知识边界。我们专注于项目团队对边界对象（跨社会群体的通信设备）的使用，以揭示和克服在临时永久性界面上物化的知识边界。我们确定了三种更具挑战性的边界对象用途：信息性，交互性和集成性。所以，