The Landscape of Project Engagement (v3.1, 2024)

Last updated on 11 Jan 2025

A knowledge map of the Project Engagement Approach (v3.1)

The Project Engagement Approach is a project-centered social theory inspired by Andy Blunden's notion of the "project as a unit of analysis of activity." It aims to establish the concept of the "Project" as a theoretical foundation for cross-disciplinary research, creative dialogue, and deep reflection.

This article utilizes the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to represent the landscape of the Project Engagement Approach (v3.1) and introduces a set of entities within the large knowledge enterprise.

The Evolution of Project Engagement (v1.0 and v2.0)

The Project Engagement Approach was initiated in 2021. At first, I used the term "Project Engagement" to name the second part of my 2021 book, Project-oriented Activity Theory, which introduces Andy Blunden's concept of "project as a unit of analysis of activity" into Activity Theory.

In the book, I focused on the "Person-Project" relationship and introduced three foundational modules that formed version 1.0 of the approach: two frameworks, the Developmental Project Model and the Zone of Project Model, along with a method called Cultural Projection Analysis.

From January to June 2022, I tested Project Engagement (v1.0) and recognized the need to expand the scope to include the "Project-Project" relationship. On July 20, 2022, I began writing an introduction to the Project Engagement Approach (v2.0) in Chinese. The thesis, completed on July 30, 2022, is a 116-page document structured around three key concepts: Significance, Complexity, and Genidentity.

The thesis introduced the following six components of v2.1:

Activity Landscape Analysis
Project Network
Thematic Spaces
Mapping Project Network
Significant Insights Analysis
Life-History Topology

More details can be found in Project Engagement (v2.1) as an Innovation Approach and Project Engagement (v2): Life, History, and Multiverse.

The Birth of Project Engagement Approach (v3.1)

In May 2024, I developed version 3.1 of the Project Engagement approach. While version 1.0 focused on the Developmental Project Model, version 3.0 expanded on this by curating a range of knowledge frameworks to explore project-oriented social ecology.

This is a comprehensive theoretical toolkit, as illustrated in the diagram below.

The diagram consists of two key components:

The top section represents a Map.
The bottom section showcases several knowledge frameworks.

Between May and June, I collaborated with friends to test this theoretical toolkit in various fields, including higher education teaching, life narrative practices, and youth developmental discovery.

In June 2024, to support a friend’s workshop, I simplified the Project Engagement approach (v3.1) by selecting only its Map component. This led to the creation of the House of Project Engagement.

I spent four weeks in China in June and July caring for a family member undergoing surgery. I developed the tool “The House of Project Engagement” during this time, using “Thematic Rooms” as a metaphor to represent different social structures. I later named this group of rooms and their social structures “Social Landscape”.

In July 2024, after returning to the U.S., I completed Project Engagement (v3.1) with a Chinese-language thesis. However, I detached the concept of Social Landscape from the thesis and developed it into a standalone framework, which I later applied to the Strategic Moves project in September 2024.

The Project Engagement Approach (v3.1) not only serves as a practical tool for exploring project-centered social ecologies but also provides a framework to curate my activity-related creations, including the Activity Circle Model, the SET Framework, the ARCH Model, the Platform for Development Framework, and the Anticipatory Activity System (AAS) Framework.

Eventually, I adopted the concept of the "World of Activity" from the Anticipatory Activity System (AAS) Framework and established it as a core concept of the Project Engagement Approach (v3.1).

On December 4, 2024, I launched the "World of Activity" Toolkit (v1, 2024) as the new container of my activity-related knowledge creations.

In the following sections, I will use the Knowledge Discovery Canvas as a map to introduce a set of entities of the Project Engagement Approach (v3.1).

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas was developed in January 2022 to explore Developing Tacit Knowledge through Thematic Spaces.

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas is designed with the THEORY—PRACTICE dimension and the END—MEANS dimension. I also consider the ENTER—EXIT dimension and the INDIVIDUAL—COLLECTIVE dimension. The canvas also has two nested squares which divide the thematic space into two sub-spaces: inner space and outer space.

Based on the above settings, I generated a series of mapping between outer space and inner space:

Approaches — Tastes
Concepts — Notions
Events — Projects
Domains — Works
Perspectives — Views
Frameworks — Insights
Methods — Guides
Heuristics — Skills

Originally, the canvas was developed to represent the process of Developing Tacit Knowledge, with a focus on mapping the relationship between Inner Space and Outer Space. However, I have often found it particularly useful for illustrating a knowledge enterprise by using its Outer Space.

For example, in August 2023, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to curate the Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (v2, 2023). See The Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (V2, 2023).

In the following sections, each section will focus on one block of the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

A Large Knowledge Enterprise

The Project Engagement Approach (v3.1) has a set of knowledge entities, which are classified into different categories, and placed in different blocks on the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

Approaches

Activity Theory
Ecological Psychology
Theoretical Sociology

Concepts

Project
Projectivity
Project Engagement
Theme
Identity
Social Landscape
World of Activity

Perspectives

Possible Project
Significant Others
Network of Projects
Public Square
Supportive Platform
System Conflict

Frameworks

The Developmental Project Model
The Social Landscape Framework
The Thematic Identity Curation Framework

Methods

Cultural Projection Analysis
Mapping Strategic Moves

Heuristics

The House of Project Engagement

Projects

The "Concept Development" Project
The "Knowledge Engagement" Project
The "Thematic Engagement" Project
The "Narrative Engagement" Project
The "GAP" Project
The "ARCH" Project
The "Value Circle" Project
The "Life Strategy" Project
The "Platform Ecology" Project

Most items are not new, however, the major update is the “Perspectives” block. I list six items there. These “Perspectives” are used to design Thematic Rooms of the House of Project Engagement, and connect to a series of knowledge frameworks that are about the Outside of Project, in other words, the Project-centered Social Ecology.

In the "Project" block, I list nine projects I did in the past years. This is not a typology of Projects, but my best practices of Projects. Many ideas of the Project Engagement Approach were born from these knowledge projects.

Approaches and Concepts

A theoretical approach is formed by a set of theoretical concepts within a unified worldview.

In a broad sense, the Project Engagement approach has philosophical roots in traditional such as the Hegel-Marx-Vygotsky Activity Theories, the Pragmatist Tradition, and the Continental Tradition.

The Hegel-Marx-Vygotsky Activity Theories were curated by Andy Blunden during his work from 2010 to 2019. Blunden adopts Hegel’s logic and Vygotsky’s theories on the "unit of analysis" and "concept" as key theoretical resources to develop an approach to the interdisciplinary theory of activity. This process is documented in four books: An Interdisciplinary Theory of Activity (2010), Concepts: A Critical Approach (2012), Collaborative Projects: An Interdisciplinary Study (2014), and Hegel for Social Movements (2019).

The Project Engagement Approach builds upon Andy Blunden's approach, adopting his notion of "Project as a unit of analysis of activity" as a theoretical foundation for cross-disciplinary research, creative dialogue, and deep reflection.

The Pragmatist Tradition, especially Ecological Psychology, is the second theoretical resource for the Project Engagement Approach. The Concept of "Projectivity" was inspired by the concept of "affordance," a core idea of James J. Gibson's ecological psychology. The SET Framework was inspired by ecological psychologist Roger Barker's Behavior Setting Theory. The notions of "Project-centered social ecology" and "Social Landscape" also emphasize the environmental aspect of human activity and social life.

The Continental Tradition, especially Phenomenology, has influenced the development of the Project Engagement Approach, particularly versions 2.1 and 3.1. The Version 2.1 of the approach was influenced by social theorist Ping-keung Lui, who is also a phenomenologist. The concept of "World of Activity" was inspired by Austrian philosopher and social phenomenologist Alfred Schutz's concept of "world of working." The concept of "Social Landscape" was inspired by Edmund Husserl's notion of "morphology of lifeworld."

Is the Project Engagement Approach a unified worldview?

It offers a new worldview based on the notion of "Activity as Project Engagement," which contributes to the development of activity theory as a project-oriented social ecology.

The Project Engagement Approach (v3.1) claims the following concepts as its primary theoretical concepts:

Project
Projectivity
Project Engagement
Theme
Identity
Social Landscape
World of Activity

The concept of "Project" is defined as a social container encompassing a set of actions related to a particular theme and a particular identity.

The concept of "Projectivity" refers to potential action opportunities for individuals to initiate or join a project, enabling them to actualize their development in collaboration with others.

The concept of "Project Engagement" refers to joining a project, acting as a member of the project, and leaving the project. It aims to address the “outside—inside” dualism of social spaces and also echoes the internalization—externalization principle of activity theory.

The concepts of "Theme" and "Identity" refer not only to the individual actor's life themes and creative identities but also to the themes and identity of the project.

The concept of "Social Landscape" refers to the structures and dynamics of social environments, acting as maps that guide social actors through various domains of social life. It emphasizes the ecological aspect of social life.

The concept of "World of Activity" was inspired by Alfred Schutz’s concept of “ World of Working.” It refers to the whole scope of the project-centered social ecology from the individual actor's perspective. Because it emphasizes the perspective of subjective experience, it can be considered a creative thematic dialogue between phenomenology and activity theory.

Perspectives

In versions 2.1 and 3.1, I added several new modules to expand the Project Engagement Approach. These new modules appear as "perspectives" on the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

The following six perspectives were used to design the thematic rooms of the House of Project Engagement and connect to a series of knowledge frameworks that address the "outside" of the project—in other words, the project-centered social ecology.

Possible Project
Significant Others
Network of Projects
Public Square
Supportive Platform
System Conflict

Designed as a Map, the House of Project Engagement uses a “Museum” metaphor to represent space. The House is organized into 12 thematic rooms, with each room representing a distinct type of social landscape.

Together, these rooms depict the following themes:

Before
Role Models
Ideas
Possible Project
Meet with Others
Actual Project
Settings
Supportive Platform
Public Square
Network of Project
Conflict
After

Frameworks

Over the past several years, I have developed several knowledge frameworks for the Project Engagement approach. However, I featured only three of them on the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

The Developmental Project Model
The Social Landscape Framework
The Thematic Identity Curation Framework

The Developmental Project Model is a core component of the Project Engagement approach. The diagram below illustrates the standard Developmental Project Model, which outlines eight elements that describe a developmental project.

More details can be found in the Developmental Project Model.

The Thematic Identity Curation Framework addresses the dynamic transformation between Theme and Identity within the Project Engagement Approach.“Theme” and “Identity” are two key elements of the Developmental Project Model. Between 2021 and 2024, I developed several knowledge frameworks focused on themes, identity, and related concepts. In May 2024, I captured a key insight: Thematic Curation as Identity Building.

This insight led to the creation of an integration framework that curates a series of knowledge frameworks, forming a toolkit for building a creative identity. Refer to the large diagram below for details.

The Thematic Identity Curation framework highlights the following moments:

Thematic Echo
Thematic Blend
Thematic Integration
Creative Projects
Identity Development

Each of these moments is paired with a relevant knowledge framework, forming a comprehensive toolkit. Further details can be found in The Thematic Identity Curation Toolkit (v1, 2024).

Methods

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas highlights two methods:

Cultural Projection Analysis
Mapping Strategic Moves

The Cultural Projection Analysis method is used to map the concept of Projectivity. For example, the diagram below illustrates Primary Projecting.

You can find more details in Activity U (X): Projecting, Projectivity, and Cultural Projection.

The Mapping Strategic Moves method is developed based on the House of Project Engagement and other thematic maps. This method helps knowledge creators craft forward-thinking life strategies by reflecting on their past and connecting it to future possibilities.

More details can be found in The Mapping Strategic Moves Method (v1, 2024).

Heuristics

I selected only the House of Project Engagement for the "Heuristics" block on the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

The House of Project Engagement

I distinguish between Maps and Models: where Maps represent the social landscape, Models are representations of predictive models made by actors. In some cases, actors use specific knowledge frameworks as their predictive models to guide their projects.

The House of Project Engagement was designed as a Thematic Map showing a set of Thematic Rooms. Each room represents one theme.

In June and July, I spent about four weeks in China, caring for a family member who underwent surgery. During this time, I reflected on the healthcare system using the House of Project Engagement.

While in China, I also dedicated time to designing, discussing, and testing the House of Project Engagement. Eventually, I created a physical version of the House as a prototype for a tabletop game focused on life narrative practices.

Upon returning to the U.S., I developed an English version of the House of Project Engagement and renamed it Social Landscape: The House of Project Engagement.

Projects

In the "Project" block, I list nine projects I have undertaken over the past years. This is not a typology of projects but rather a presentation of my best practices. Many ideas of the Project Engagement Approach originated from these knowledge projects.

The "Concept Development" Project
The "Knowledge Engagement" Project
The "Thematic Engagement" Project
The "Narrative Engagement" Project
The "GAP" Project
The "ARCH" Project
The "Value Circle" Project
The "Life Strategy" Project
The "Platform Ecology" Project

Further details of these projects will be shared in future articles.