Navigating Role Identity Tensions: It Project Managers’ Identity Work in Agile Information Systems Development

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.

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.

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.

When a $145 million IT project failure pushes Los Angeles to the edge of financial meltdown, the County CEO asks Max McLellan, a harried IT project manager, aka The Integrator, for help. The County Board gives Max 30 days to identify the problem and find a solution. At first Max finds the usual missteps, but something bigger and darker beckons, an explosive source of project failure. He must do something different, rattling ghosts of previous County IT failures, uncloaking crookedness, and exposing truths that shatter careers. With some people rooting for his failure, Max battles to fit all the pieces together with the County team, applying his proven framework to define the problem, plan a solution and execute it successfully. It’s common knowledge that barely 50% of IT projects succeed, per a 2017 Project Management Institute report. Equally well-known, approximately 70% of large-scale change management initiatives fail according to a 2017 McKinsey & Co. report. Given the challenge to overcome these low success rates, The Integrator offers a proven narrative on the organizational change framework for achieving Agile IT project management success based on the author’s 45+ year client experiences and published research. The Integrator defines change management as the single overarching methodology integrating Agile IT and project management. It does this because all projects are about change – significant organizational and personal change. The people involved – their participation in and understanding and support of these changes – ultimately determine IT projects success or failure. In fact, while all IT projects are about change, successful projects change human behavior. The methodologies included in the framework, described in The Integrator, include: • Change management as defined by AIM (Accelerating Implementation Methodology). • Project management as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) standard. • IT management as derived from the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE) Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) standard. • Agile as defined by the Agile Alliance’s Agile Manifesto. Written by a certified Project Management Professional and accredited change management practitioner, The Integrator chronicles the challenges involved in applying this framework in a real-world setting to achieve successful project implementation.

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.

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.

This chapter presents the results of a case study pertaining to the use of information and communication media to support a range of project management tasks. A variety of electronic communication tools have evolved to support collaborative work and virtual teams. Few of these tools have focused specifically on the needs of project managers. In an effort to learn how practicing IT project managers employ these tools, data were collected at a North American Fortune 500 industrial company via interviews with IT project managers regarding their use and perceptions of electronic media within the context of their work on project teams. In this study, "virtual" describes the extent to which communication is electronic rather than the extent to which team members are geographically separated. Although the number of respondents was limited, the richness of the data collected leads to the conclusion that successful project managers and teams become skilled at adapting a variety of existing communication technologies to match the project task or process, the receiver, their own role as sender, and the content of the message. Groupware designers and developers need to better understand project management methods and best practices in order to provide better tools for practitioners, particularly as organizations expand globally and increasingly outsource various functions of their IT development and operations.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

This paper presents the results of a case study pertaining to the use of information and communication media to support a range of project management tasks. A variety of electronic communication tools have evolved to support collaborative work and virtual teams. Few of these tools have focused specifically on the needs of project managers. In an effort to learn how practicing IT project managers employ these tools, data were collected at a North American Fortune 500 industrial company via interviews with IT project managers regarding their use and perceptions of electronic media within the context of their work on project teams. In this study, “virtual” describes the extent to which communication is electronic rather than the extent to which team members are geographically separated. Although the number of respondents was limited, the richness of the data collected leads to the conclusion that successful project managers and teams become skilled at adapting a variety of existing communication technologies to match the project task or process, the receiver, their own role as sender, and the content of the message. Groupware designers and developers need to better understand project management methods and best practices in order to provide better tools for practitioners, particularly as organizations expand globally and increasingly outsource various functions of their IT development and operations.

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

<p>The objectives of this study was to bring out the understanding of the concept of agile IT project management; what it is and what it is not. It was also aimed at comparing the pros and cons of both agile and traditional methods of IT project management in a typical industry setting; the challenges of going purely agile, and so on. It is purely a review of literature of peer reviewed papers sourced mainly from Google Scholar. It was revealed that agile outweigh the traditional methods in terms of benefits, but its implementation poses a lot of challenges due to a number of issues, paramount among them being organizational culture and empowerment of the project team. This has resulted in a number of industries sticking to the traditional methods despite the overwhelming benefits of agile. In another school of thought, the combination of the two paradigms is the way forward.</p>

The concept of improving the efficiency of IT projects management is proposed, based on an integrated system approach to IT projects management and implementing a rational choice of parameters of the IT projects management system. The described approach provides integrated information processing and support for management decision-making at all stages of the IT project implementation. The integrated system approach to improving the efficiency of IT projects management involves the development of new algorithms for forming structure and composition of project teams and distribution of project team participants to project tasks using evolutionary modeling. The advantage of the proposed approach is the ability to quickly respond to changes in the parameters of internal processes of an IT project and an external environment. The proposed approach was tested when creating the corporate information system of “SMIT-Yartsevo” LLC. The application of the proposed approach at “SMIT-Yartsevo” LLC ensured the reduction in the labor intensity and timing of the implementation of the main stages of the project to create the corporate information system by increasing the efficiency of managing the formation of project teams and the distribution of tasks among project team participants.

Applying system dynamics modeling to IT project management

Introduction IT projects are increasing in scope and complexity, fuelled by intense business competition, ever improving technology, and complex organizational structures and processes. In many cases, companies turn to suppliers of IT services -- systems integrators, consulting project managers, and software solutions providers -- to deliver their tough projects. There are many reasons to look for outside help, including staff shortages, risk reduction, and access to specialized industry or technical knowledge. External project managers are expected not only to successfully deliver against targets, but also to help the organization realize value for money. To understand how external IT project managers can perform successfully, two questions need to be asked: • What roles (beyond those of traditional project management) must external project managers fulfil? • How can they prepare themselves for these roles? We conducted a set of interviews with leading external project managers (see box for details of the study), focusing on those who manage transformational IT projects. Their answers take us beyond previous discussions of the need for a project team management role and an external business-facing role. This article first explains the research study (see the exhibit) and then discusses the roles and skills required of today's external IT project manager. Selected quotes from interviewees are shown as italicized text. It concludes with recommendations about personal and professional development for those entering into external project manager roles.