What causes positive customer satisfaction in an ineffectual software development project? A mechanism from a process tracing case study

The customer role is crucial in agile information systems development (ISD). There is, however, a scarceness in research on how this role is enacted, and how its practice influences project outcome. In this longitudinal case study, an agile ISD project is followed with a particular focus on the customer organization’s participation, aiming to contribute to the understanding of how customers influence agile ISD projects. The data analysis follows a process tracing approach, a case study method where one aims to identify the causes and outcomes of any kind of process through the rigorous analysis of qualitative data. The analysis of the case shows that the low completion of the initial project requirements was caused by over-scoping and by an immature customer. Further, the customer’s acceptance of the outcome was caused by the agile practices introduced in the project. These helped to create a high customer’s sense of responsibility for the outcome, which worked as a mediator towards a positive acceptance of the delivery. The study contributes a mechanism for why agile projects may still be successful in light of low delivery. It is also a first case study in the information systems field explicitly using a process tracing approach

Customized risk assessment in military shipbuilding

This paper describes a customized risk assessment framework to be applied in military shipbuilding projects. The framework incorporates the Delphi method with visual diagrams, Bayesian Networks (BN) and the expression of expert opinions through linguistic variables. Noisy-OR and Leak Canonical models are used to determine the conditional probabilities of the BN model. The approach can easily be adapted for other shipbuilding construction projects. The visual diagrams that support the Delphi questionnaire favor the comprehensive visualization of the interdependencies between risks, causes, risks and causes, and risks and effects. The applicability of the framework is illustrated through the assessment of risk of two real military shipbuilding projects. This assessment includes a sensitivity analysis that is useful to prioritize mitigation actions. In the two cases studies, the risks with higher probability of occurrence were failures or errors in production, of the contracted, in the requirements, and in planning. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that a set of mitigation actions directed at relatively easily controllable causes would have achieved important reductions in risk probabilities.- (undefined

Strategies to Control Internal Factors Affecting Information Systems Projects in Puerto Rico

Many project managers and business leaders lack effective strategies to control internal factors that affect information systems (IS) projects, which may impede leadership\u27s ability to respond to market changes. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by 6 purposefully selected project managers who successfully implemented information system development (ISD) projects by controlling the internal factors that affected different ISD project phases in Puerto Rico\u27s telecommunication service industry. The framework that guided this study was coordination theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and project documentation including business requirements, project charters, project plans, and lessons learned which also served as resources for member checking and validation to strengthen the trustworthiness of the study. Analysis of the data occurred following Yin\u27s 5 analytical steps of validating, coding, interpreting, summarizing, and generating themes. The 5 themes that emerged were top management support, clear requirements, communication, project plan, and lessons learned. Each theme corresponded to a phase of the project life cycle. Top management support and clear requirements were the top critical factors (TCF) in the initiating and planning phases. Communication and project plan were the TCF in the executing, monitoring, and controlling phases. Lessons learned were the TCF in the closing phase of the project. Implications for social change include helping IS project managers successfully implement IS projects, providing innovative services to customers, and improving an organization\u27s position so it can provide jobs and economic stability in the region in which it operates

Project Risk Management Strategies for IT Project Managers

Utilizing information technology (IT) to enable new organizational capabilities to achieve near-term objectives and long-term sustainability is a top priority for many business leaders seeking to maintain or increase market share. However, organizational leaders face significant challenges to their strategy execution because the percentage of challenged IT projects has remained relatively static for decades. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore risk management strategies used by 7 purposely selected IT project managers (PMs) from a pharmaceutical company located in the northeastern United States who have effectively managed IT project performance by using risk management strategies, leading to the successful delivery of an IT project. The conceptual framework that guided the research was actor-network theory. The data collection included semistructured interviews and the collection of internal organizational risk registers and other project risk management documentation. An inductive content analysis followed the procedures outlined in Malterud\u27s systematic text condensation strategy, yielding the following major strategies to increase IT project performance: performing knowledge management, promoting a positive risk culture, utilizing an existing risk management framework, and performing risk-related communication. The implications for positive social change include the potential to help IT PMs deliver the expected business value on time and within budget, which, in turn, may enable pharmaceutical companies to improve the quality of life of afflicted individuals and populations in need of safe, economical, and innovative therapies