Project leadership and the involvement of users in IT projects

By their nature IT projects have a major impact on any organization. It is essential to understand the reasons for success and failure, and to create the correct environment for success. Users are key stakeholders who must be involved at an early stage if success is to be achieved. There are two categories of user in IT projects - the end-users themselves, and those who will support and maintain the system.     

The dynamics of masculine-agentic and feminine-communal traits: Findings from a prospective study.

A reciprocal impact hypothesis posits an influence of gender-related traits (agency and communion) on role enactment and a reciprocal impact of role enactment on gender-related traits, for both men and women. Specifically, in this study it was predicted that agency influences career success and career success influences agency. In addition, the reciprocal influence of communion and family roles was examined. A prospective study with almost 2,000 university graduates, who were tested after graduation and 1.5 years later, clearly supported the reciprocal impact hypothesis for agency and career success. Communion influenced family roles, but there was no reciprocal influence. Implications for theories of career success and of sex and gender are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Renewable energies in the EU-Accession States

The aim of this article is to discuss obstacles and success conditions for renewable energy sources in the EU-Accession States and to compare them with the framework in the EU-15. Besides the ten states which will join the EU in 2004, Bulgaria and Romania which will probably join in 2007 as well as Turkey are analysed. Most of these countries have had a century-long tradition in the utilisation of RES, primarily in biomass and hydropower. However, the communist regimes were convinced of the superiority of large-scale systems and converted the energy sectors into centralised units. Due to this dominating belief system more decentralised applications such as installations using renewable energies had to close.     

Implementing lean practices in manufacturing SMEs: testing ‘critical success factors’ using Necessary Condition Analysis

Lean practices are known to increase operational performance. Previous research has identified critical success factors for implementing lean practices. This research aims to examine the extent to which success factors are critical for various degrees of lean practice implementation. Using multiple-respondent self-assessments from 33 Dutch manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we conducted a Necessary Condition Analysis. Our findings indicated that the criticality of success factors is progression dependent. In the initial stages of the lean journey, SMEs could improve their lean practices in a bottom-up manner through local factors such as a learning focus, improvement training and support congruence. When lean practices are more advanced, some company-wide factors must be present: top management support, a shared improvement vision and a supplier link. Our findings question the universality of success factors such as strategic involvement and indicate the need for a more dynamic model of lean implementation.     

多主体信息系统集成关键成功因素的实证研究

在分析一般IS/IT项目关键成功因素的基础上,结合多主体信息系统集成项目的特点,提出项目管理、知识管理、项目环境是多主体信息系统集成项目的关键成功因素.通过对238份有效问卷的实证研究发现,项目管理有项目控制和项目协调两个维度,知识管理有知识共享与扩散、知识重用两个维度,项目环境有IT规划、管理基础和IT技术三个维度.路径分析结果表明,知识管理对系统集成项目的时间、费用和质量目标的实现均有显著影响;项目管理对时间、费用目标的实现也有显著影响,但对质量目标的实现影响不显著;项目环境对质量目标的实现影响显著,但对时间、费用目标的实现影响不显著.