Architectural Solution as a tool for planning and approval of changes in projects for information systems implementation and customization

In this study, we deploy a rank-order Delphi survey of factors impacting the information technology (IT) project management capability. We first develop a conceptual model based on the theory of dynamic capabilities that positions IT project management as a dynamic capability enabling the IT capabilities of an organization. In our conceptual model, the IT project management maturity level is identified as one antecedent factor that influences the IT project management capability. The objective of this Delphi study is to identify additional factors beyond the scope of most project management maturity models that influence the IT project management capability. The results of this study provide the foundation for future testing and validation of the conceptual model.

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.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to discover the best practices used by information technology (IT) project managers to determine what leadership skills, behaviors, communication tools and techniques are needed to lead and communicate effectively with virtual IT project teams.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative case study, data was gathered by semistructured interviews from ten successful IT project managers from Northern California who had more than ten years of experience managing virtual teams (VTs) with growing and profitable IT companies in Silicon Valley, California.FindingsIT project managers and leaders may consider building personal relationships with team members at the beginning of each project to foster a sense of camaraderie and common ground for the successful outcome and desired results. Maintaining cohesive team relationships to gain their trust and confidence may require additional coaching, mentoring, collaborating, recognizing their accomplishments, providing technical training, and understanding different cultures and local laws that relate to VTs to manage projects successfully to move projects forward in sustaining business, and assure customer satisfaction.Originality/valueFindings from this study may assist IT project managers and leaders in building trust and rapport, increasing efficiency and developing effective lines of communication within their virtual IT teams.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought transformative changes to project management, necessitating a departure from traditional methodologies previously employed in IT project implementations. This paper explores the evolution of project management from conventional IT approaches to the dynamic demands of AI-driven projects. While foundational principles of project management—such as planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication—remain relevant, AI projects introduce unique challenges and require significant adaptations to existing frameworks. The study begins by delineating the characteristics and core principles of traditional IT project management. Traditional methods are characterized by their structured phases, fixed requirements, and a focus on sequential task execution. These principles have been foundational in achieving success in conventional IT projects through detailed planning, rigorous documentation, and predefined quality assurance measures. In contrast, AI projects are distinguished by their reliance on data, iterative development, and high levels of uncertainty. Unique characteristics of AI projects include the need for continuous experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and adaptability to evolving project requirements. The paper identifies key challenges in managing AI projects, such as dealing with data quality issues, ensuring model interpretability, and addressing ethical considerations. To effectively manage AI projects, project managers must adopt new strategies, including Agile and iterative methodologies that support flexibility and continuous feedback. The study emphasizes the importance of cross-functional teams, as AI projects require diverse expertise from data scientists, engineers, and domain specialists. Additionally, handling the inherent uncertainty in AI projects involves fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability. Key differences between traditional IT and AI project management are analyzed, highlighting variations in planning and scoping, risk management, stakeholder communication, and quality assurance. Traditional IT management relies on detailed upfront planning and predictable risk management, whereas AI projects necessitate adaptive planning, dynamic risk assessment, and ongoing model validation. The paper also addresses the transition to AI project management, discussing necessary skill adaptations for project managers, organizational changes to support AI initiatives, and the role of specialized tools and technologies. A hypothetical case study illustrates how traditional IT project management experience can be applied to an AI project, providing insights into practical adaptations and lessons learned. LllLooking forward, the paper explores emerging trends in project management influenced by AI advancements and emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adaptation. The evolving role of project managers in the AI era is examined, underscoring the importance of embracing new methodologies and technologies to stay relevant. While core project management principles remain integral, the shift to AI-driven projects requires substantial modifications to traditional practices. Project managers must evolve their approaches to navigate the complexities of AI projects effectively, ensuring continued success in an increasingly technology-driven landscape.

This review paper explores the impact of Agile methodology on IT financial planning and project management efficiency. Agile has become a widely adopted framework in the IT sector because it can enhance project delivery timelines, improve scope management, and foster stakeholder engagement. However, the integration of Agile with traditional financial processes presents challenges, particularly in budgeting and financial forecasting. The paper examines the barriers to aligning Agile’s iterative approach with fixed financial models and discusses best practices, such as rolling-wave budgeting and continuous communication between finance and project teams, to optimize efficiency. Additionally, future trends in Agile-driven IT project management, including integrating DevOps, artificial intelligence (AI), and hybrid models, are explored as potential solutions to enhance efficiency and adaptability in IT project environments.

PurposeOrganisations are increasingly using project or programme management offices (PMOs) to co‐ordinate activities across information system (IS) projects. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the presence of PMOs and their involvement in IS projects relates to project success and to senior management satisfaction with those projects.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses an exploratory survey method to consider the relationship of both the presence of a PMO and the involvement of the PMO in five key practices that span the project life‐cycle on project success and management satisfaction.FindingsCounter‐intuitively, it is found that the presence of a PMO reduces senior management satisfaction with IS projects and has no effect on the overall success rates of those projects. The study draws on ideas of escalation of commitment to explain this finding.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that it is more important for PMOs to be involved at the start and at the review stage of projects, rather than in the on‐going monitoring, which is where much of their current focus is.Originality/valueThis study is the first, that the authors are aware of, to identify a reduced level of management satisfaction associated with the presence of a PMO. It is also the first study to consider PMO involvement at the level of key project practices and hence to be able to suggest how to understand and address the reduced management satisfaction identified.

This qualitative research study explores the experiences of project managers in IT projects, using an investigative approach to explore the intricacies of knowledge transfer in these contexts. The research framework emphasizes the complexity of social dynamics and the need for a deeper understanding, prompting the use of qualitative methods. Expert interviews were chosen as the primary data collection technique due to their alignment with the research objectives. The study adopts an exploratory perspective, with online interviews conducted using a co-expert approach. The philosophical stance of the study is based on phenomenalist principles and aims to gain insights into the personal experiences of project managers. The experts selected for the study met specific criteria, including certification and experience in IT project management. Thematic analysis revealed key categories: Forms of knowledge transfer, challenges, and opportunities. Personalized spontaneous knowledge transfer emerged as the dominant form, facilitated by informal interactions, and efforts to codify this knowledge in a documented form were observed. Challenges included issues of quantity, distribution, team dynamics, technology platforms, organizational culture, and time constraints. Successful knowledge transfer was associated with increased efficiency, improved quality, faster project completion, and continuous improvement of methods and standards. The study suggests that project-based organizations should develop strategies to improve knowledge transfer, incorporate it into project management standards and focus on facilitating effective communication between team members.

Before it was declared a pandemic in March 2020, the Malaysian government was compelled to begin enforcing the MCO countrywide on 18 March 2020, and the World Health Organization classed the COVID-19 outbreak as a public health emergency. The MCO’s implementation significantly impacted the Malaysian economy, resulting in a 17.1% fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2020. Implementation of MCO during the Covid-19 pandemic has direct and indirect effects and implications on project management. This situation also may interfere with the project deliverables since project management is extremely sensitive to rapid changes. The issues that the project manager faces and how the software affects project deliverables have been examined in this study. From the standpoint of a software development project, the researcher will identify the challenges the IT project manager poses and their impact on project deliverables. In this study, we will evaluate whether implementing the MCO during the Covid-19 pandemic has given significant challenges to the IT Project Manager to successfully deliver the software development project. The literature review resulted in challenges; furthermore, the interview with three IT Managers of an ICT company in Malaysia discussed 18 challenges drawn from the analysis of the interviews. Hence, these findings of the innovative study area on software development have provided an enhanced judgment and interpretation on deciding mitigation strategies in the early stage of software development projects during the MCO.

Virtually every industry has benefited greatly from the internet and social media by incorporating them into their daily operations and the information technology industry is no exception. Though the effects of social media on project management have been extensively studied, little study has been done to specifically examine the effects of social media on IT project management. This study was done to find out how social media affects IT project management and to see if social media can be used effectively if it is supervised. An 8-question and 15-item questionnaire was used for this study, and it was circulated via social media to a sample of 381 IT team members from the private and public sectors. Only 82 out of 371 participants disagree that social media platforms are appropriate for project communication; the remaining participants think that social media facilitates collaboration. SPSS was used to analyse the data collected from 381 participants. The findings showed that social media has a favourable effect on IT project management throughout both the development stage and promotion. This study also demonstrates the critical role social media plays in today's IT project management for other notable project successes, supporting communication, data sharing, team building, enhanced member cohesiveness, job assignments, and project promotion. The report urges IT project managers to incorporate social media use in IT projects, but to do it in a way that will yield the best results.

Digital development for a progressive networked society

The article examines the principles of effective formation of a project management system at an enterprise. In the modern environment, project management standards and management information systems are the principles of effective formation of a project management system. The content of the category «project management system» is determined: as a direct means of project management; as software for project management. An analysis of recent research and publications on the topic is carried out, which clarifies the ambiguity of theoretical provisions and applied aspects of project management systems. It is determined that project management is a business philosophy combined with special knowledge, methods and management tools. The essence of PMBoK is noted as a project management standard with 9 functions, the approaches of which reflect the classical theory, the place of other methodologies that ensure the flexibility of project management is indicated. The place of individual methodologies in project management practice is described, five main reasons for project failures are highlighted (according to PMI research) and these reasons are compared with the project management methodology, which is emphasized from the perspective of implementing management standards. A brief description of the Agile and Scrum methodologies is given, their features and significance for certain types of projects are given, and the areas of management to which their specifics correspond are revealed. The essence of IT project management systems is highlighted, their impact on the efficiency of project activities is noted, a brief description of the Jira and Worksection systems is given, and their main components and elements are revealed. Modern requirements for the formation of a project management system at an enterprise are determined, in particular the ability to develop and self-improve. The transition to the principles of a circular economy is identified as a promising direction, a system of fundamental principles for the transition of project activities is given, and the prospective advantages for the future of such a transition are described. The achievements of the formation of a project management system based on the principles of a circular economy were noted. Based on the results of the study, conclusions were drawn regarding the directions of effective formation of a project management system, according to the type of projects and market advantage factors, which will ensure maximum efficiency in planning and coordinating project implementation, interaction with key participants and the project team, optimization of project resources and maximization of project benefits.

For information technology (IT) projects to be successful, it is imperative to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) that are essential to the IT project management process. This study aims to illuminate these CSFs by incorporating insights from professionals involved in the management of IT projects. The major contribution of this study lies in classifying these factors into different categories and quantifying their impact while taking IT project management experts’ viewpoints into account. To accomplish this, a thorough assessment of the literature was carried out, which resulted in the identification of 20 success factors that fall into five categories: project team capability, top management support, project quality, project management, and organizational process assets (OPAs). A survey covering these variables was then sent to professionals in the IT industry, and responses were obtained from five experts. The collected data was analyzed using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method, which mitigates imprecision and avoids bias in the data. The most important factor was determined to be project team capability, whereas organizational process assets were deemed to be the least significant factor. It is anticipated that the insight garnered from this study will help IT project management professionals in supporting, evaluating, and improving project success.

Purpose: This research seeks to examine identity tensions in IT project managers involved in developing Agile Information Systems Development (ISD). It looks at the transition from the hierarchical functional PM structures to the non-hierarchical decentralised decision-making forms of Agile. These tensions relate to how the organisational tensions affected the roles of project managers. The third study concerns role tensions leading to conflicts and identity work about traditional and agile paradigms. Materials and Methods: The study employs a qualitative research technique involving semi-structured interviews among the participants, the IT project managers. It gathers data on the project managers and explores the nature of their conflicts and how managers resolve these conflicts regarding tensions concerning compliance and cooperation, role definition, and leadership adaptations in the Agile context. Findings: The research identifies three primary areas of tension for IT project managers; Lack of coordination between attempts to enforce bureaucracy (laws and policies) and coordination (work incorporation). Ambiguity of the roles played in various organisational settings Failure of the organisational structures to provide clear roles that individuals play during their operations. Agile leadership challenges moving from decision-making authority to a more coordinated leadership position. Organisational officials and project managers use measures including endorsing peripheral positions, engaging peers and enrolling for organisational development to deal with such opposing forces. Importance is placed on the organisational climate, resources and training within the study to focus on organisation adaptability and identity work within Agile frameworks. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study suggests practical measures for management organisations to improve individual and organisational outcomes in Agile ISD settings; Develop suitable training courses as a measure to help people adapt to the Agile type with effectiveness. Make networks and peer support systems for project managers. This increases role conflict, which should be minimised by establishing a clear structure of responsibilities and tasks within the company. The findings also advance theory by discussing how professional identity develops and the psychological and social changes that occur when transitioning to Agile culture.

Purpose:The primary objective of this study is to investigate the competency profiles of IT project managers as demanded in the job market.To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of job postings, focusing on the real-world competency requirements for project managers within the IT sector.This approach enables an in-depth understanding of the specific skills and qualifications that employers are actively seeking in potential project management candidates.Design/methodology/approach: This research utilized an innovative approach by applying generative AI for the analysis of a large data set, offering a unique perspective in evaluating IT project manager competencies in the job market.Findings: Our research identified nine distinct IT project manager profiles, which revealed communication as the most crucial of all competencies across all profiles, while competencies such as power and interest, along with procurement, were found to be less significant.Research limitations/implications: The research was based on the data gathered during a period of three months.However, it demonstrates the possibilities of further applications of this designed research process.Practical implications: The research highlights the diverse range of competency requirements for project managers in IT industry.

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