New PhD student at MGMT - Anita Birkeland

Hi everyone,

My name is Anita Birkeland, and I've just started my industrial PhD in joint collaboration between Skanderborg Kommune and Aarhus University. I joined the Department of Management on March 1st, and I already feel very welcome, so thank you for that.

My research focuses on shedding light on the often-overlooked part of project portfolios: the operational projects within politically governed organizations.

Over the next three years, I aim to dive deeply into Skanderborg Kommune's project portfolios. I will investigate how the large volume of parallel development projects affects the performance of individual projects. Also looking at whether the project amount can lead to 'change overload', thereby impeding our ability to successfully complete each project. In the second part of my PhD, I will gather insights from studies and project practices from other organizations. The aim is to identify practices that can generate more value in our projects and gather knowledge on how they function within our public context.

I completed my Master's at AU BSS with a focus on Business Intelligence. Since then, I have worked as an external and internal process consultant, focusing on optimizing processes in various areas including surface treatment of pig fences, window production, and care of residents in nursing homes.

I met my husband in Klubben, and we now live in Skanderborg with our two kids and our dog. I'm Norwegian with a broad "Jysk" accent, I often get sucked into a spiral of bucketlist travel destinations, and I love the outdoors.

I'm already very excited to be back in the world of academia, and I hope to meet you soon in Valhalla or at my office Building 2628, Room M407.