Comparing senior executive and project manager perceptions of IT project risk: a Chinese Delphi study

The success rate for information technology (IT) projects continues to be low. With an increasing number of IT projects in developing countries such as China, it is important to understand the risks they are experiencing on IT projects. To date, there has been little research documenting Asian perceptions of IT project risk. In this research, we examine the risks identified by Chinese senior executives (SEs) and project managers (PMs), and compare these two groups. The importance of top management support in IT projects is well documented. Prior research has shown that from the perspective of IT PMs, lack of support from SEs is the number one risk in IT projects. Surprisingly, senior executives' perceptions towards IT project risk have never been systematically examined. One reason why lack of support from senior executives continues to represent a major risk may be that senior executives themselves do not realize the critical role that they can play in helping to deliver successful projects. In this study, we use the Delphi method to compare the risk perceptions of senior executives and project managers. By comparing risk factors selected by each group, zones of concordance and discordance are identified. In terms of perceived importance ascribed to risk factors, PMs tend to focus on lower‐level risks with particular emphasis on risks associated with requirements and user involvement, whereas SEs tend to focus on higher‐level risks such as those risks involving politics, organization structure, process, and culture. Finally, approaches for dealing with risk factors that are seen as important by both SEs and PMs are provided.     

Understanding the most critical skills for managing IT projects: A Delphi study of IT project managers

The skill requirements for project managers in information technology (IT) projects have not been widely studied in the past, especially in terms of their relative importance. We addressed this gap in the literature by conducting a Delphi study with 19 IT project managers (PMs). Among the list of 48 skills identified, our panelists selected 19 skills as being the most critical for IT PMs and then ranked them based on their relative importance. Follow-up interviews were conducted with selected panelists to gain insights into the importance of the top-ranked IT PM skills. We compare our results with two previous studies of IT PM skills and discuss the implications for research and practice.     

IT项目风险管理模式研究

在对风险管理的五个核心子过程和两个附加子过程研究的基础上,结合IT项目的特点和IT项目风险管理所处的阶段的分析,介绍了“P2I2=成功风险管理”的方程式,提出了由风险管理指南(G)、P/T过程模型(P)、风险状态图(S)组成的GPS风险管理框架。     

A comparative study of important risk factors involved in offshore and domestic outsourcing of software development projects: A two-panel Delphi study

We investigated the risk factors of outsourced software development. Our first objective was to create empirically generated lists of risk factors for both domestically- and offshore-outsourced projects. Our second objective was to compare these two contexts: how do the risk factors change and which ones are most important in each. To address these objectives, we conducted two Delphi surveys to identify the important risk factors from a client perspective, in domestic and offshore settings. We qualitatively compared the results of the surveys to identify similarities and differences across their risk profiles. We identified three types of risks: those that appeared in both contexts; those that appeared in both but were exacerbated in the offshore context; and those that were unique to the offshore context. Our findings suggested that traditional project management risks were important in both contexts; however, the offshore context seemed to be more vulnerable to some traditional risks as well as factors that were unique to it.     

Cynicism as user resistance in IT implementation

In this paper, we examine the process by which user cynicism emerges and is constituted as part of resistance in information technology (IT) implementation. We ground our process perspective in the received user resistance literature by linking cynicism to users' projections of the system's future use. Rather than attributing cynicism to perceived threats, however, we see user cynicism as cognitively distanced resistance that manifests as a perception of seeing through the espoused goals of the implementers. Based on a process analysis of a customer relationship management implementation at a customer service centre, the paper extends the user resistance model proposed by Lapointe and Rivard by identifying three dimensions of user cynicism in IT implementation. It also shows how cynicism, as a form of passive resistance, easily escalates and feeds new forms of resistance. Lastly, we introduce the cynicism literature as a new reference theory for the Information Systems (IS) audience.     

Problems in the interplay of development and IT operations in system development projects: A Delphi study of Norwegian IT experts

Context

The assumption of the presented work is that the ability of system developers and IT operations personnel to cooperate effectively in system development projects has great impact on the quality of the final system solution, as well as on the service level of its subsequent operation.

Objective

The present research explores the interplay of system development and IT operations and the challenges they are meeting. We are especially interested in identifying problems encountered between these two parties in system development projects.

Method

We identify and rank problems by using a ranking-type Delphi study. We involved 42 Norwegian IT experts and split them into three expert panels: system developers, IT operations personnel and system owners. We then guided them through the three phases of the Delphi method - brainstorming, reduction and ranking.

Results

A comprehensive list of 66 problems, organized into seven groups, is compiled. Through a selection and ranking procedure, the panels found the following to be the six most serious problems in the interplay of system development and IT operations: (1) IT operations not being involved in the requirements specification; (2) poor communication and information flow; (3) unsatisfactory test environments; (4) lack of knowledge transfer; (5) systems being put into production before they are complete; and (6) operational routines not being established prior to deployment.

Conclusion

The sheer amount and variety of problems mentioned and the respondents’ explanations confirm that this interplay needs attention; the parties agree that they do not cooperate effectively in development projects. The results imply that IT operations should be regarded as an important stakeholder throughout several systems development activities, especially requirements analysis, testing and deployment. Moreover, such involvement should be facilitated by an increased focus on enhancing cooperation and communication.     

IT project managers' construction of successful project management practice: a repertory grid investigation

Although effective project management is critical to the success of information technology (IT) projects, little empirical research has investigated skill requirements for IT project managers (PMs). This study addressed this gap by asking 19 practicing IT PMs to describe the skills that successful IT PMs exhibit. A semi-structured interview method known as the repertory grid (RepGrid) technique was used to elicit these skills. Nine skill categories emerged: client management, communication, general management, leadership, personal integrity, planning and control, problem solving, systems development and team development. Our study complements existing research by providing a richer understanding of several skills that were narrowly defined (client management, planning and control, and problem solving) and by introducing two new skill categories that had not been previously discussed (personal integrity and team development). Analysis of the individual RepGrids revealed four distinct ways in which study participants combined skill categories to form archetypes of effective IT PMs. We describe these four IT PM archetypes – General Manager, Problem Solver, Client Representative and Balanced Manager – and discuss how this knowledge can be useful for practitioners, researchers and educators. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.     

A typology of user liability to IT addiction

To date, information systems (IS) research mainly has provided a monolithic view of information technology (IT) use, considering it to be a desired behaviour with positive outcomes. However, given the dramatic increase in the use of technology during the last few years, susceptibility to IT addiction is increasingly becoming an important issue for technology users and IS researchers. In this paper, we report the results of a study that focuses on identifying variations in user liability to IT addiction, which reflects the susceptibility of individual users to develop IT addiction. First, a review of the literature in different disciplines (e.g. health, psychology and IS) allows us to better understand the concepts of IT addiction and liability to addiction. The literature review also provides an overview of the antecedents and consequences associated with IT addiction. Then, building on the analysis of 15 in‐depth interviews and 182 exploratory open‐ended surveys collected from smartphone users, we apply the concept of liability to addiction in the IT use context and propose a typological theory of user liability to IT addiction. Our typology reveals five ideal types; each can be associated to a user profile (addict, fanatic, highly engaged, regular and thoughtful ). Building upon both the extant literature and our results, we put forth propositions to extend the theoretical contributions of the study. We finally discuss the contributions and implications of our paper for research and practice.     

Managing culture creep: Toward a strategic model of user IT culture

This article describes a framework of IT user culture that has implications for organizational IT strategy. The research was conducted in multiple settings with a grounded theory approach. The resulting framework is anchored to nine archetypal IT user profiles and encompasses their inter-group dynamics. By adopting a cultural perspective on IT usage, the framework can inform IT adoption and usage strategy with possible cultural antecedents and determinants of usage constructs common in IS research. The proposed framework suggests how management can influence the migration of IT user culture (culture creep). This framework can also enrich other acceptance models in order to more fully consider the human factor during IT implementation and adoption. The results underscore the importance of culture-customizing organizational IT socialization, training and evolution programs.     

基于粗糙集与AHP理论的IT项目风险群决策

针对IT项目的风险管理与群决策过程中存在大量不确定、不完全信息等特征,在传统决策方法的基础上,将粗糙集方法与AHP理论相结合,提出了粗集IT项目风险群决策的基本步骤,并借助粗糙集的原理与方法,通过实例分析探讨了IT项目风险群决策中关于知识表达、属性约简、规则挖掘、方案排序等方法,尤其是引入属性动态权重、专家主观权重、客观权重的概念与计算方法,进而对整个决策排序算法进行了改进。     

The post mortem paradox: a Delphi study of IT specialist perceptions

While post mortem evaluation (PME) has long been advocated as a means of improving development practices by learning from IT project failures, few organizations conduct PMEs. The purpose of the study is to explain this discrepancy between theory and practice. This paper integrates findings from a Delphi study of what experienced practitioners perceive as the most important barriers to conducting PMEs with insights from organizational learning theory. The results suggest that there are critical tensions between development practices and learning contexts in many organizations, and adopting PMEs in these cases is likely to reinforce organizational learning dysfunctions rather than improve current development practices. Based on these findings, we argue that the PME literature has underestimated the limits to learning in most IT organizations and we propose to explore paradoxical thinking to help researchers frame continued inquiry into PME and to help managers overcome learning dysfunctions as they push for more widespread use of PMEs.     

关于信息项目后评价的思考与建议

随着信息技术项目的大规模建设和应用,如何客观、公正地评价其效果成为各方关注的焦点。信息项目后评价已成为项目闭环管理的最后1个环节,评价工作也逐步开展起来。当前评价的重点是项目目标实现程度、项目实施组织管理、应用效果、影响与持续性。虽然通用的项目后评价方法可以应用于信息项目,但操作难度较大。因此,应重视信息项目后评价方法的研究,在实践中探索信息项目后评价的关键要素和指标,形成完善的后评价方法。     

Empirical analysis of risk-taking behavior in IT platform migration decisions

Information technology (IT) platform migration incurs a great deal of risk because of the massive rewriting of legacy systems and a wide range of new technology adoptions. Therefore IT platform decisions need to be made in a mindful manner because of the high degree of investment risk. However, more aggressive migrations, compared to the global trend, to an open system have been observed in Korean organizations. This phenomenon defies the common understanding of IT investment risk and encourages the investigation of the elusive characteristics underlying IT investment decisions. The effect of IT decision-makers’ perceptions and risk propensity on their IT platform migration decisions is examined in the context of risky decisions. In addition to risk perception, decision-makers’ risk propensity also has a significant effect on IT investment decisions. By observing the monarchical IT governance and IT-biased careers of decision-makers, some implications of large-scale IT investment decisions are derived.     

企业级IT项目管理中多项目计划编制的研究

有效进行多项目管理是金融IT行业在IT项目管理中面对的关键问题。企业级项目管理需要在资源有限的情况下完成和企业战略密切相关的各项目的平衡和调度。如何确定各项目的优先级以及在优先级确定的情况下如何编制各项目的计划进度是多项目管理的核心和关键前提。首先分析了金融IT的特点,然后结合传统的甘特图计划方法,提出了一种优先级确定情况下项目计划编制简便方法,使得企业在实施多项目管理时能够参照进行计划安排,使得项目群整体最优从而提高企业核心竞争力。     

Technology: toys or tools?: Results of a Dutch Delphi study

The diffusion and use of Advanced Manufacturing Techniques (AMT) in Dutch factories that is expected to occur at the beginning of the next century, has been analyzed in a Delphi study with 23 Dutch experts. Four possible scenarios for ‘factories of the future’ were identified; in these special attention was paid to the role that AMT might play. It appeared that AMT would play a different role, depending on the external environment and internal condition, varying from very limited to rather extended. Introducing AMT in these ways should have a positive impact on competitive position of the enterprises, company employment, and the industrial structure.     

A longitudinal experimental study on the interaction effects of persuasion quality, user training, and first-hand use on user perceptions of new information technology

While prior research has investigated the main effects of external factors on user perceptions of a new IT, little work has been into the interaction effect of external factors on user perceptions. In a longitudinal experimental study, we examined the effect of the quality of persuasive argument, user training, and first-hand use on user perceptions of the new technology over time. We found that the effect of argument quality on users’ perceived ease of use was greater when users had no training. However, we did not find the same effect occurred due to perceived usefulness. We also found that first-hand use changed users’ perceived usefulness more over time when users received high quality arguments or when they had no training. While we found that first-hand use changed users’ perceived ease of use more when users received high quality arguments, first-hand use did not change users’ perceived ease of use differently whether they had or had not received prior training.     

When a growth mindset can backfire and cause escalation of commitment to a troubled information technology project

This research focuses on information technology (IT) project managers' growth mindset concerning IT project management (PM) ability and investigates how such a mindset can promote escalation of commitment to a troubled IT project. Specifically, we suggest that the growth mindset of IT PM ability promotes prospective achievement motivation and can lead IT project managers to escalate their commitment to an IT project despite negative feedback suggesting that the project may not be completed successfully. Through a series of three experiments with 351 IT project managers, we obtained consistent support for our hypotheses suggesting that the growth mindset of IT PM ability promotes IT project escalation and this effect is partially mediated by anticipated regret about project failure and anticipated likelihood of project success. In addition, in the three experiments we found that when the project involves an unfamiliar technology the indirect effect of the growth mindset of IT PM ability through anticipated likelihood of project success is stronger than when the project involves a familiar technology.     

基于战略匹配和IT能力的企业IT项目决策

为将战略匹配思想和IT能力对1T项目的影响转化为量化模型,支持企业更科学地进行IT决策,引入网络层次分析法模拟企业战略与IT战略之间双向对应和协同关系,分别借助Porter的战略理论和Henderson的战略匹配模型来代表企业战略和IT战略。考虑各种IT能力对IT战略和IT项目的影响,提出基于战略匹配和IT能力的IT项目决策模型,并以实例说明该模型的使用方法和有效性。     

一种基于风险和推荐的用户信任计算方法

结合客观的风险评估和主观的推荐信任共同计算用户可信度,并利用推荐可信度和域可信度来识别和惩罚提供虚假反馈的服务方,提出了基于风险和推荐的用户信任计算方法。仿真实验表明,该模型具有较好的动态适应性,能够准确反映用户行为,为信任决策提供安全、可靠的依据。     

IT centrality,IT management model,and contribution of the IT function to organizational performance: A study in Canadian hospitals

The characterization of the IT function in organizations represents a central topic of investigation in the information systems field. The main purpose of this study was to predict the contribution of the IT function to organizational performance by focusing on the centrality of IT and the IT management profile as primary determinants. A cross-sectional survey of CIOs working in Canadian hospitals reveals that IT centrality positively influences the strategic orientation of the IT management model. In turn, the stronger the strategic orientation of the IT management model in place, the greater is the IT function’s contribution to organizational performance.