Journal article · 2026
Divide Et Impera: Structuring design science projects
Summary
Design science research builds things such as prototypes, methods and models, and studies whether they work. It has gained ground in entrepreneurship and innovation research because it brings scholars and practitioners together. But design science projects are usually large and complex, with several partners, researchers and artefacts over years. If they are poorly managed, scarce research resources are wasted and projects fail to deliver.
The paper presents the design science project segmentation framework (DS-PSF). It divides a project along three dimensions. The research contribution dimension separates the application domain from the scientific knowledge base. The human-technical dimension places work at the infrastructure, system or usage level. The research question dimension breaks the overall question into sub-questions. Each resulting segment can be described by its artefact, its methods for analysis, design and evaluation, and the researchers responsible. That lets a team assign resources strategically, check whether the output is balanced, schedule and monitor work, and adapt when scope changes.
The framework is illustrated with the Danish blockchain VAT project. It was then evaluated against ten design science studies published in MIS Quarterly and Decision Support Systems. Finally, the paper shows how the framework fits into standard project management processes such as the PMBOK Guide and ISO 21500, and how it complements the eDSR method for decomposing design science projects.
Explainer
Key findings
- Three dimensions (research contribution, human-technical level and research sub-question) divide a design science project into small, well-defined segments, much like sprints in agile development.
- In the VAT blockchain project, the framework split the work into three sub-questions (impact on SMEs, VAT settlement automation, and integration and usage). It made scope explicit, helped assign researchers and developers, and all deliverables were finished on schedule.
- The framework could be instantiated for all ten published studies. Most of their artefacts sat at the system level (70%), about a third at the usage level and only 20% at the infrastructure level, so the grid exposes gaps and imbalances in a project's output.
- Mapped onto project management phases, the framework helps most with planning, monitoring and closing research segments. It complements eDSR: eDSR focuses on rigour through continuous validation, the DS-PSF on planning, resourcing and scheduling.
How to cite
Werner, M., & Søgaard, J. S. (2026). Divide Et Impera: Structuring design science projects. Technovation, vol. 158, 103719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2026.103719