Purpose: The premise of this paper is that tension exists among participants and parties engaged in projects.  The uniqueness of development virtually assures this.  It is proposed that tensions are a product of the precursors of complexity, uncertainty and equivocality, and an attempt is made to characterize tension as it arises in projects – its genesis and its nature.

Method: An in-depth case study was conducted in a manner in which the contextually sensitive empirical researches for which Nordic studies are known.  Within discussions on the strategy, decision making, intra- and inter-project interdependencies and managing across development sites associated with a flagship project, 77 statements concerning tension were identified for analysis. 

Findings: These statements were analyzed for content to produce a model associating tension with its precursors and the literature on tension. 

Practical implications: A contribution is made to management theory where knowledge about project context is seen as essential in order to understand best practices for project execution and effectiveness.

Originality/value: Although common, even virtually assured in projects, tension tends to be neglected in successful management.  This study associates the genesis of tension through the underlying contributions of complexity, uncertainty and equivocality.  It is believed to be the first study of its type.