Success management as a PM knowledge area – work-in-progress

It is a fact that an organization's success is closely linked with its projects’ success. Although there are many studies in literature that focus on different aspects of project success like, for instance, the success factors or the criteria for success assessment, there are only few studies that mention the processes required for success evaluation. Guides and standards, such as the PMBOK 5 or ISO 21500:2012, are not exceptions to this reality. Given the high importance and complexity of the evaluation of the projects’ success, in this work-in-progress the Success Management is proposed as a new knowledge area of project management, as well as a set of processes to be carried out in its scop

Evaluation of IS project success in InfSysMakers: an exploratory case study

Evaluating the success of information systems projects is a key process in project management. Even though many studies found in literature focus on various aspects of project success like, for example, the success factors, there are few studies that address the evaluation process and that present practical cases. In order to help fill this gap, this paper presents an exploratory case study of a company called InfSysMakers (anonymized company name), aiming to get answers to the following questions "How is the process for evaluating the success of projects defined?"; "What criteria are used to evaluate the project success?"; "When does the evaluation actions take place to measure success?"; "Who are the stakeholders that participate in the evaluation?" Based on the obtained results, we propose a preliminary model for assessing the success of projects. The results are useful for researchers and practitioners interested in improving the project success evaluation processCOMPETE: POCI - 01 - 0145 - FEDER - 007043 and FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/201

Information systems project management success

This paper aims to provide new insights into information systems (IS) project management success. Even though many studies found in the literature show results of software development projects, few studies address the success of IS (socio-technical) projects. Responses to an international survey, regarding 472 projects in total, showed that IS project management is achieving high levels of success; yet, only a minority of projects end without changes in scope, schedule or cost. Furthermore, the results show that changes in scope, schedule or cost are frequent in this kind of project and do not significantly affect the perception of success. These results provide researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of IS project management success evaluation.- (undefined

Project management processes - impact on the success of information systems projects

Purpose: Few studies in the literature address the success of enterprise Information Systems (IS) projects, namely focusing on how success is influenced by project management practices. This research studied the impact of ISO 21500/PMBOK processes on the success of IS projects, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of management practices importance in the context of this type of projects. Design/methodology/approach: An international survey was used to collect data, which was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: The results show higher levels of success than usually reported in the literature. Furthermore, this research shows that overall success is strongly influenced by ISO/PMBOK project management processes, thus reinforcing the relevance of competent project management to improve the results of IS projects. Originality: Focusing on the specific case of IS projects, this study shows that higher levels of success are achieved by organizations with higher project management maturity

Waterfall and Agile information system project success rates—a South African perspective

Abstract: Even though software projects do add value to the organisation, studies reveal that some software projects are still failing at an alarming rate and do not always provide the anticipated value to the organisation. This has been the case for the last couple of decades. Software projects use predominantly Waterfall as a methodology. This raises the question whether new ways of working can be introduced to improve the success rate. One such new way is Agile as an approach to developing software. A survey was done to determine whether Agile projects are more successful than Waterfall projects, thus contrasting the old and the new ways of working. Some 617 software projects were evaluated to determine the success rate based on the methodology used. Success was measured on a continuum of five levels and not just the triple constraint. The results imply that Agile projects are more successful than Waterfall projects to some extent, but that there are still concerns that need to be addressed

Investing in project management certification : do organisations get their money’s worth?

Abstract: The professionalisation of project management has been a contentious topic for some time. Project management certification is seen as a step towards the professionalisation of the discipline. Certifications were developed as a means to provide individuals with the appropriate knowledge and skills required to deliver projects successfully. Although project management certification programmes are now commonplace across the globe, research is yet to fully investigate the true influence certifications have on project performance. This paper revealed that South African IT project performance is not influenced by project management certification. Moreover, it was established that certifications need to be redesigned to ensure that the professionalisation of project management remains on track

Agile methodology perceived success and its use: The moderating effect of perceived compatibility

This article investigated the moderating effect of the perceived compatibility of agile methodologies in determining the actual success of a methodology. The researchers conceptualised the agile methodology perceived success by using cost, scope, time and quality to complete the project. The researchers further hypothesised that perceived compatibility has moderating effects towards agile methodology perceived success and its use. The theoretical framework was evaluated by means of data collected from IT professionals (n = 230). The objective of the study was to determine how agile methodology use and perceived compatibility influence agile methodology perceived success in South Africa. A survey was conducted among IT professionals and the results analysed using statistical methods. The results showed perceived compatibility to have a moderating effect towards agile methodology use, time and cost. Nevertheless, there was a lack of moderating effect of perceived compatibility with regard to agile methodology use and perceived quality, and agile methodology use and perceived scope. The results of this study formulate a comprehensive model that could provide a set of guidelines for agile methodology use to the agile methodology communities and other IT professionals in South Africa

On the shortage of engineering in recent information systems research

In this paper we argue that the so-called 'positivism'-versus-'interpretivism' conflict raised by some constructivist, postmodernist, relativist philosophers and methodologists in information systems research is merely a pseudo problem which has no basis in reality. This pseudo problem of so-called 'positivism' versus 'interpretivism' only distracts from the genuine problem of the information systems discipline, namely the design and construction of reliable devices from reasonable specifications, for well-defined purposes, on the basis of scientifically acceptable principles. In contrast to those relativist 'philosophies' we show that information systems research actually belongs to the domain of engineering which already has its time-tested methodology and epistemology, including a trinity of scientific-nomothetic, hermeneutic-idiographic, as well as pragmatic-normative elements. By accepting fact that information systems research is a specific instance of engineering research, which also includes (and has always included) the un-quantifiable 'human dimension', a number of fruitless debates can be terminated for the sake of genuine progress in information systems' theory, design and deployment.National Research Foundatio

On the shortage of engineering in recent information systems research

In this paper we argue that the so-called 'positivism'-versus-'interpretivism' conflict raised by some constructivist, postmodernist, relativist philosophers and methodologists in information systems research is merely a pseudo problem which has no basis in reality. This pseudo problem of so-called 'positivism' versus 'interpretivism' only distracts from the genuine problem of the information systems discipline, namely the design and construction of reliable devices from reasonable specifications, for well-defined purposes, on the basis of scientifically acceptable principles. In contrast to those relativist 'philosophies' we show that information systems research actually belongs to the domain of engineering which already has its time-tested methodology and epistemology, including a trinity of scientific-nomothetic, hermeneutic-idiographic, as well as pragmatic-normative elements. By accepting fact that information systems research is a specific instance of engineering research, which also includes (and has always included) the un-quantifiable 'human dimension', a number of fruitless debates can be terminated for the sake of genuine progress in information systems' theory, design and deployment.National Research Foundatio