Study goals
To identify, classify, and analyze the main challenges faced by Brazilian NGOs in adopting project management practices, through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on relevant national and international studies.
Relevance / originality
The research addresses the scarcity of national studies on project management in the third sector, offering a structured view of the challenges and supporting strategic and academic decision-making in this field.
Methodology / approach
An SLR was conducted following the Kitchenham protocol, using the Scopus database to locate articles published between 2005 and 2024; after screening, 20 studies were qualitatively analyzed, grouping challenges into thematic clusters.
Main results
Twenty-six challenges were identified and grouped into six thematic clusters: structural and organizational, capacity building and skills retention, cultural and behavioral, financial and technological, institutional and relational, and knowledge gaps, revealing recurring patterns and critical adoption factors.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
The study systematizes and groups challenges specific to the third sector, providing a conceptual basis for future research and suggesting the adaptation of traditional methodologies to the particularities of the context.
Social / management contributions
The findings offer input for NGOs, public policy makers, and funders, guiding strategies for capacity building, methodological adaptation, and institutional strengthening to improve the effectiveness of social projects.