IT and Project Management Minitrack

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Given this increasing emphasis on projects across a variety of areas, the topical themes suggested for this minitrack will attract researchers and practitioners of technology- based project management, and will provide a forum for discussing advanced concepts and theoriesfor managing projects in today’s dynamic and challenging business environment. The emphasis will be on new practices and state-of-the-art concepts and theories. This minitrack will explore the latest techniques for tracking and controlling projects, compressing the time-to-market cycles, managing innovation under cost and time pressures, managing diverse project teams in decentralized organizations, managing open innovation projects, capturing and transferring learning across projects, and dealing with interruptions, risks, conflict and commitment.

Specifically, the Project Management Minitrack is designed to attract papers (and audiences) in the following areas:

  • Managing in a multidisciplinary and global technical team environment
  • Using IT-based project management tools and techniques effectively
  • Emerging tools and techniques for managing information system projects
  • Leadership and team management issues in technology-based project organizations
  • Leading and managing internal and external project stakeholders in IT projects Management tools and techniques (including information systems) for capturing and sharing knowledge across projects
  • ‘Open’ project management
  • Developing state-of-the-art project organizations
  • Knowledge and skill building for project managers

Minitrack Co-Chairs:

Joseph Weiss (Primary Contact)
Bentley University
Email: jweiss@bentley.edu

Sue Newell
University of Sussex
Email: Sue.Newell@sussex.ac.uk

Jacky Swan
Warwick Business School
Email: Jacky.Swan@wbs.ac.uk

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Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    The Emergence of Business Model for Digital Innovation Projects without Predetermined Usage and Market Potential
    (2017-01-04) Antonopoulou, Katerina; Nandhakumar, Joe; Begkos, Christos
    In this paper we explore the emergence of business model for digital innovation projects without predetermined usage and uncertain market potential. We studied a firm, which was producing and launching digital platforms for managing organizational operations. Drawing on a case study of developing this digital platform, we identified three recurring calculative and narrative practices: ideating; concocting; aligning. We argue that through these practices various epistemic objects (which we call ‘learning catalogue’) were enacted representing the emerging consensus of the usage and market potential for the digital innovation under development, and simultaneously enabling actors to create new knowledge of what was not known. This dynamic learning catalogue represented the constantly evolving implicit business model for value generation. We offer significant contributions to business model studies in the context of digital innovation projects, and implications for the transformation of the contextual and technical uncertainty into calculable risk.
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    Success Lies in the Eye of the Beholder: A Quantitative Analysis of the Mismatch Between Perceived and Real IT Project Management Performance
    (2017-01-04) Neves, Fabiano; Borgman, Hans; Heier, Hauke
    Building on an earlier exploratory study, this paper investigates the drivers of the possible mismatch between traditional "real" IT project management performance criteria - quality, time and cost - and "perceived" project management performance. We use partial least squares structural equation modeling to test five main hypotheses with survey data from 248 managers with extensive IT/IS project involvement. The results demonstrate that mismatches between real and perceived project management performance indeed occur. They are predominantly driven by poor expectation management before and during the execution of IT projects, as well as by a low project sponsor commitment. A discussion of the findings and limitations, as well as suggestions for future research, conclude the article.
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    No Gain without Pain: Feelings an Emotional Practices in an Information System Project
    (2017-01-04) Hekkala, Riitta; von Hellens, Liisa; Newman, Michael
    This longitudinal study examined how an information systems development team transitioned to an agile way of working. We describe the main events of a large, inter-organizational project, where agile methods and practices were applied for the first time. The organizations involved had a long tradition in heavy, waterfall style projects, and many of those past projects had severe challenges. We examine how the agile way of working was understood by particular groups (project team, management and suppliers), as well as how these understandings changed over time. The lack of experience with agile development, no common view on ‘agility’ and its key principles and practices were obvious challenges for the transition. Our study suggests that complex agile projects need to have very clear goals and management has to be able to communicate these, while preserving the autonomy of teams and individual team members.
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    How Can Steering Committees Manage Change Through Dynamic Capabilities to Increase System Satisfaction?
    (2017-01-04) Murphy, Kris; Lyytinen, Kalle; Somers, Toni
    Enterprise-wide system implementations require organizations to think differently about how they approach project-based IT governance. Companies typically use executive steering committees to govern IT projects; yet, problems with user satisfaction linger. While scholars and practitioners have some understanding of what make steering committees successful, we do not fully understand what capability levers are available. This study contributes to the limited research on how project-based IT governance can manage change to achieve higher satisfaction with system usage. We find that steering committees can be more effective by stacking business IS capability with powerful antecedents of innovative culture and capable champions. Second, we find that business IS competence mediates the effects of innovative culture and capable champions on system quality. Third, we take a step forward in developing a change model based on dynamic capability for IT governance. We suggest several implications for practice and theory of project-based IT governance.
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    How Do Project-related Artefacts Qualify for Bridging Boundaries in IS Implementation Projects – An Activity Theoretical Perspective
    (2017-01-04) Weeger, Andy
    Boundary objects were found to significantly impact the outcomes of IS implementation projects. Despite emphasizing their flexibility, however, prior research is no very precise on the attributes that qualifies project-related artefacts to become boundary objects. To identify the internal characteristics of artefacts that enable business and IT to synchronize IS and business needs, this research offers an activity theoretical view on boundary objects. The usefulness of the concept is demonstrated by means of an in-depth case study. The findings of this research emphasize that –in order to become boundary objects– project-related artefacts need to be part of the IS implementation and the business activity system. Moreover, they need to capture relevant knowledge of both activity systems and enable recognition of contradictions within and between. As to that, utilization of emerging project deliverables by means of internalization or externalization processes is found to facilitate the alignment between IS and business needs.
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    Introduction to IT and Project Management Minitrack
    (2017-01-04) Weiss, Joseph; Newell, Sue; Swan, Jacky