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1. IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT: SIZE, PRACTICES AND THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE1,2.... 1

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IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT: SIZE PRACTICES AND THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE1 2

Author: Martin, Nancy L; Pearson, J Michael; Furumo, Kimberly

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Abstract:

This research is an investigation into IS project management practices related to projects of varying

size across diverse industries. Survey data on a broad range of project management issues was collected from

129 IS project managers. The relationships between project size with 13 project management practices and 3

project performance measures were analyzed. The influence of a project management office (PMO) on the use

of standardized project management practices and project performance was empirically tested. Our findings

suggest that IS project size influences budget and project quality and the PMO is empirically linked to project

budget. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Full text: Headnote

ABSTRACT

This research is an investigation into IS project management practices related to projects of varying size across

diverse industries. Survey data on a broad range of project management issues was collected from 129 IS

project managers. The relationships between project size with 13 project management practices and 3 project

performance measures were analyzed. The influence of a project management office (PMO) on the use of

standardized project management practices and project performance was empirically tested. Our findings

suggest that IS project size influences budget and project quality and the PMO is empirically linked to project

budget.

Keywords: information systems projects, project management, project management office, project performance.

INTRODUCTION

Information system (IS) projects are commonplace for organizations in today's technologically evolving and

globalized business environment. Organizations are faced with IS projects of varying size and technical

complexity and ensuring the success of these projects is important to both firm leaders and IS project

managers. Stuthes suggest that a significant percentage of IS projects encounter problems, many requiring

additional time, financial and human resources [13,20,26,34]. The Standish Group International, Inc., a research

advisory firm, began surveying American executives about mission-critical software projects in 1994 and found

that only 16% of application development projects met the criteria for success which included timely completion,

widiin budget and with all features and functions originally specified [8]. Since that first report, aldiough projects

have shown improvement, the chances of a project being completely successful are still not encouraging. The

2001 survey revealed that only 28% of projects can now be considered successful, while 23% fail completely

and 49% are "challenged", meaning that the project was completed, but was late, over budget, and/or lacking all

features and functions originally specified [13]. This predicament is of international concern since these failures

are not limited to American organizations [e.g. 25,39].

Organizations have responded to the problem of challenged and failed projects by attempting to better

coordinate and control IS projects through the use of formal project management practices. Project

management in IS is defined as the application of formal and informal knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to

develop a system that provides a desired level of functionality on time and widiin budget [37]. Previous researchhas established a positive relationship between formal project management practices and project performance

[1 1,14,25]. Research also suggests that most IS project problems are related to management, organizational

and cultural issues, not technical problems [15,31]. These findings imply that project management is a critical

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component of IS project success.

Other IS project management research has considered the relationship between particular project

characteristics, project management practices and project performance [3,11,19,31,43]. Specific project

management practices have been recommended based on project size and complexity and technological

newness [27,44]. Other research has demonstrated the mediating role of project team size with project

performance [3]. Other studies have shown a positive relationship between project size and complexity and

certain project management practices and their combined effect on project performance [27,43]. Still others

have focused on the measure of project size or complexity itself [24]. It is clear that a considerable number of

stuthes have explored the relationships between IS projects, project characteristics and project management

practices.

However, a review of the literature reveals the need for additional empirical research to consider specific project

management practices related to projects of varying size and the influence of project size on IS project

performance. This study is an exploration of current IS project management issues across a wide variety of

projects and industries. It considers project size, specific project management practices and their combined

effect on several measures of IS project performance. To overcome the limitation that most prior research has

considered only software projects, this study explored both hardware and software development projects.

Additionally, the evolving role of a project management office was investigated with respect to project

management practices and project performance.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Project Performance

Project performance is typically defined in terms of diree outcome factors: cost, duration and quality [3,16,34].

While some IS researchers have suggested that project performance measurement should also include team

member satisfaction, stakeholder satisfaction with the project team and the added business value of the IS

project [21], it is widely accepted diat the "triple constraint" outcomes of budget, schedule and quality form the

foundation in terms of measuring project success [37].Project Characteristics

Past research has shown that certain project characteristics directly impact project management performance.

Specifically, project size, technological complexity and change, and the newness of the application influence the

outcome of large software projects [44]. IS project size has been found to have a significant negative

relationship with project completion [43].

The definitions of IS project complexity and size have, at times, been hard to discern as project complexity is

sometimes based on the size of the project. Project size may be based on the dollar value of the project, the

number of people on the project team or the number of components comprising the final system. For example, a

large IS project might consist of numerous interrelated parts that must function together and may be physicallydispersed around the globe [21].

Project size or complexity may also be impacted by the variety of solutions available to the project team. There

is no longer one obvious solution, but choices of many. Today's environment may require rapid deployment of

software solutions running on distributed platforms, web-based applications, userfriendly interfaces to legacy

systems, purchased application packages or a combination of these and other solutions [23,35,36]. The variety

of technological options available increases the possibility that the organization lacks knowledge of and

expertise with a chosen solution. Research has established that lack of experience with a technology and low

projectspecific knowledge in an organization are associated with a higher risk of project failure [27]. Other

research has confirmed that lack of experience with a technology has a direct effect on project completion and

an indirect effect on budget variances [43]. Moreover, when a technology is new to an organization, it is more

likely that external vendors and/or consultants will participate in the project. Researchers have suggested that

because of new development technologies, integrated package suites and exploding technological innovations,



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information technology departments may interface with as many as 50 to 100 suppliers to meet organizational

needs [35]. This addition of multiple constituents to a project team may also increase IS project size.

Project Management Practices

Project management practices can be described as either formal or informal. Formal project management

practices include setting goals, creating plans and providing documented rules, standards and procedures to

the project team. Research has repeatedly established a relationship between the use of formal project

management practices and project performance [16,17,25,38]. The need for effective plans and procedures as

well as the setting of clear goals and milestones were also found to be critical to project success [I]. A direct link

between planning and budget performance [43] and other project outcomes [3] in IS projects has also been

established.

Project management skills can be divided into hard skills (planning, monitoring, coordinating) and soft skills

(leading, controlling, resolving conflict, team building) [21]. The combination of hard and soft skills and formal

and informal practices necessary for project management comprise project management job functions. In a

study partially funded by the National Science Foundation, researchers from industry and academia together

established specific job functions as essential for good project management in the information technology field

[7]. The importance of these specific project management job functions is stressed by both practitioners and in

information technology project management textbooks [37].

IS researchers have suggested a contingent approach in applying project management practices based upon

the type of IS project being implemented. It has been proposed that the established set of general purpose

project management tools (e.g. planning, controlling, etc.) may contribute to project success in varying degrees

based on particular project characteristics, such as the level of structure and the familiarity of the technology

involved [27]. Additionally, practitioners have recommended adjusting project management practices based on

the phase of the project [42]. Projects in the initiation phase may require different project management practices

than projects in the planning or execution phases.

Project Management OfficePractitioners have long been touting the need for better project control through the establishment of a project

management office [12,22]. A project management office is a formal, centralized layer of control between senior

management and project management. Early project offices were usually devoted to one project. By contrast,

today's multiple-project or project portfolio environment requires a PMO to provide a combination of managerial,

administrative, training, consulting and technical services for a broad range of projects throughout an

organization [41].

The general purpose of a PMO is to ensure consistency of approach across projects. In support of this effort,

the project office establishes project management methods and procedures, defines and implements project

structures, implements automated project management systems and tools, and institutes project managementeducation and training [6]. Through the consistency of approach to projects, it is assumed that project

performance will improve [6]. Other benefits of a PMO include formalized and consistent project selection,

formalized and consistent project management, more efficient coordination of multiple projects, improvement in

project performance in terms of cost, schedule, scope and people, and improvement in organizational

profitability [33]. Although practitioner journals have repeatedly stressed the importance and benefits of a PMO,

only limited academic research has explored the relationship between the existence of a PMO and the use of

specific project management practices or project performance. One study investigated the establishment and

use of PMOs and found that while project performance was reportedly higher for organizations with a PMO, it

was not significantly so [1O].

In summary, a great deal of literature has addressed various IS project management practices. However, there

has been little research that allows for different types or sizes of projects even though academics have

suggested that project characteristics should impact the type of project management practices employed



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[2,21,32]. Additionally, little research has attempted to establish a link between a PMO and the effective use of

project management practices or between the establishment of a PMO and project performance.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Today's technological and organizational environment requires a new examination of the project management

practices employed in IS projects. As IS projects become larger and more complex, established project

management practices may or may not be as effective as tiiey were when most projects were in-house or

domestic in nature. This study explores the relationships between project size, current project management

practices, the establishment of a project management office and project performance. Based on the preceding

review of literature, it is expected diat specific factors are related to IS project success.

As project size increases, greater risk is introduced to the IS project. With projects of greater size and

complexity, it has been shown mat schedules and budgets are negatively influenced. We also believe that

working with projects of greater size will impact the final quality of the project due to the greater dispersion of

people, responsibilities and decision-making. Therefore, we believe the greater the IS project size, the less

likely it is diat the project will finish on schedule, within budget and with all the quality objectives met. This leads

to the first set of hypotheses:

H1a: IS project size will negatively influence project schedule adherence.

H1b: IS project size will negatively influence project budget adherence.

H1c: IS project size will negatively influence project quality.

In combating project risk, many organizations utilize formal project management practices. Research has

established diat certain project management practices are associated widi better project performance. A more

recent trend is the establishment of a project management office to ensure consistent project management

practices are followed. Organizations institute PMOs to provide better communication and coordination activity

for projects and to act as a clearinghouse for project information. We believe the presence of a PMO is likely to

result in an organization utilizing established practices. These beliefs are stated in the hypothesis diat follows:

H2: Organizations with a PMO are more likely to utilize established project management practices.Moreover, it is assumed that PMOs add the value of greater communication and coordination to IS projects.

Supporters of PMOs argue diat project costs and schedules will benefit from establishment of a PMO.

Therefore, the presence of a PMO should influence IS project performance directly as predicted by the following

hypotheses.

H3a: The presence of a PMO will positively influence IS project schedule adherence.

H3b: The presence of a PMO will positively influence IS project budget adherence.

H3c: The presence of a PMO will positively influence IS project quality.

Additionally, we are interested in determining if project size may determine which, if any, project management

practices are utilized. Specific project management practices will likely be utilized based on varying levels ofproject size. Projects which are large are expected to require different project management practices than

projects which are smaller. Certain project management practices will be considered more effective when the

project is large, costly or otherwise complex. Therefore, we suggest that project size is related to the use of

certain project management practices. The related hypothesis follows.

H4: IS project size will positively influence the use of particular project management practices.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data for this study was collected through a web-based survey of IS project managers. The survey contained

questions designed to collect information regarding respondent demographics, project performance, project and

project team characteristics, and project management practices related to the respondent's most recently

completed project. The survey was pre-tested on six IS project managers and six project team members in

three different organizations. The test group provided feedback regarding survey content and wording which

was integrated into the final survey. The web-based survey was then tested for usability by several experienced



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project managers and IS doctoral students. The survey questions utilized in this study are included in the

appendix.

Sample Collection

The targeted population for this study was IS project managers. A potential sample was identified from a mailing

list of IS project managers supplied by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Invitations to participate in the

survey were mailed to the project managers and follow-up invitations were mailed two weeks later. The survey

was available to the project managers for a period of six weeks.

Of the two diousand addresses obtained from PMI, 89 were undeliverable, reducing the potential sample size to

1911. From the sample of 1911, 129 individuals submitted completed surveys, resulting in a response rate of

6.75%.

To address the potential threat of nonresponse bias in our sample, we tested for the problem by comparing

early versus late respondents [4]. The results of the analysis indicate that there are no significant differences

between early and late respondents along key sample characteristics, that is, demographics of the respondents

and organizations, project dimensions and performance measures (alpha = 0.05). Additionally, we compared

the zip codes of the respondents diat chose to identify themselves with the zip codes of the entire sample and

found no significant differences in the areas of the country that responses came from (alpha = 0.05).

Sample Description

Most of the respondents held the project manager title (73%), were male (7 1 %) and between the ages of 30

and 59 (92%). Of the 129 reported projects, more man half were on schedule (51.9%) and more man half were

within budget (53.5%). Nearly half (45.7%) of IS projects reportedly met all of the project's quality objectives. A

considerable number of projects met both schedule and budget targets and achieved all of the required quality

objectives (22.7%).

The reported projects represented a wide variety of project types as well with the largest percentage being

application development (45%). Most projects cost over one million dollars (52%), lasted eighteen months or

less (75%), involved up to twenty vendors (77%), included up to thirty project team members (77%) andrequired less than fifteen connections to others systems (83%).

IS projects involving infrastructure such as data center upgrades and telecommunications networks were the

most expensive types of projects ( = $75M and $68M respectively). Outsourced IS projects were reported to

have the longest mean project length (28 months). Network projects logically were required to connect with the

largest mean number of other systems (387) and these projects also reported the largest mean size project

teams (98) and the highest mean number of involved vendors (90).

Table 1 displays the organization demographics by industry, type of firm ownership and firm size. It is clear from

Table 1 and the descriptive statistics that the sample represented a broad range of IS project types across a

variety of industries and from small and large, public and private organizations.



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Measurement

Project Performance

Following the lead of other IS scholars, IS project performance was evaluated in terms of meeting schedules,

budgets and quality objectives [3,5,16]. Adherence to project schedule is defined as whether or not the project

was completed on time based on the established project schedule. Schedule was measured as a categorical

variable and was classified as either met or not met. Adherence to project budget is defined as whether the final

cost of the project was on budget versus over or under budget. Project budget was also a categorical variable

and considered met or not met. The project quality variable refers to the meeting of the technical and quality

goals that were established for the project. Project quality was represented by an ordinal measure of the

percentage of quality objectives (both technical and functional) that were met.

Project Size

IS project size has been operationalized via many different variables in the past and at times the term has been

used interchangeably with project complexity. As such, we chose to develop a distinct scale for IS project size.

Based on the various definitions found in the IS literature, we defined project size as the how large the project

was in terms of project cost, project length in months, the number of systems the project connected with, the

number of people on the project team and the number of outside vendors or suppliers involved in the project.

Each of the subproperties of project size was collected as a metric variable.


In general, the project management practice variable was defined as the collection of techniques and tools

utilized in the coordination and control of an IS project. For this study, thirteen specific project management

practices were considered based on a review of IS project management literature. Since one objective of this

study was to discern how specific project management practices vary with project size, each of the 13 project

management practices were considered individually. Each practice was represented by a statement describing

the tool or technique. The practices were rated on a five point scale from highly ineffective to highly effective or

not used. The project management practices are listed and labeled in Table 2.



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Project Management Office

The final variable in this study was the project management office. A PMO is defined as a formal, centralized

layer of control between senior management and project management. At the time of this study, the relationship

of a PMO with project performance or with the use of certain project management practices had yet to be

empirically stuthed; therefore existing scales were not available for the PMO variable. Therefore, for this study,

the PMO variable was operationalized using one question which discerned whether or not the organization had

an established PMO.

Reliability

Each of the three components of project performance was evaluated independently and each was associated

with one survey question. Similarly, the 13 project management practices were considered separately and each

was also associated with one survey question. The project management office variable was also represented by

one survey question. Thus, no reliability testing was required for these variables.

Reliability of Project Size Variable

Project size consisted of five components and was tested for internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. The

five measures constituting project size yielded a reliability of .78. An alpha of at least .5 is recommended for

exploratory stuthes such as the current study [30]. Therefore, the variable representing project size was

considered reliable.

RESULTS

Project Size Related Hypotheses

Logistic regression was chosen as the appropriate statistical technique to analyze data relative to the

hypotheses involving IS schedule, budget and quality measures (H Ia-H Ic) since all tiiree measures utilizedcategorical dependent variables. Binary logistic regression was utilized for project schedule and budget; ordered

logistic regression was utilized for quality. For hypothesis testing, a forced entry is recommended [40] and was



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thus used in this analysis.

This study was interested in determining whether IS project size influences measures of project performance.

For this type of inquiry, the statistic of interest in a logistic regression is the WaId statistic. This statistic has

been recommended for cautious use when the regression coefficient () is large because the WaId statistic may

be underestimated [28]. However, in the current study, the regression coefficients were small and thus were not

cause for concern.

The results of the binary logistic regression are presented in Table 3. Project size was found to be a significant

predictor of budget attainment (sig. = 0.018) but not of schedule adherence (sig.= 0.078).

Results from the ordered logistic regression which analyzed the relationship between IS project size and levels

of project quality achieved are also reported in Table 3. IS project size (sig. = 0.011) was found to have a

significant and inverse influence on quality. That is, as project size increased, project quality decreased. Thus,

hypothesis HIa was not supported, while HIb and HIc were supported.

Project Management Office Related Hypotheses

Hypothesis 2 suggested that organizations with a PMO would be more likely to utilize standard project

management procedures. The 13 project management practices were categorized as either used or not used,

creating a dichotomous dependent variable to be associated widi the dichotomous independent variable for

PMO. This hypothesis was tested using Fisher's exact test. The Fisher's exact test is used when a Chi Square

test is warranted, but one or more of the cells has a value of five or less. As reflected in Table 4 below, no

significant associations were uncovered in the analysis, suggesting diat organizations widiout a PMO are just as

likely to utilize standard project management practices as those with a PMO. This result indicates diat H2 was

not supported.



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The hypotheses related to the influence of a PMO on dimensions of project performance (H3a - H3c) were

measured using Chi Square tests since the independent variable ( PMO) and dependent variables (IS project

schedule, budget and quality) were categorical. The strength of the relationship between a PMO and meeting

project schedule is non-significant, indicating mat having a PMO did not necessarily influence whether or not

projects were completed on schedule. A similar result was obtained for the relationship between PMO and

project quality. However, the relationship between PMO and meeting project budget was significant at ? =

0.033, signifying mat a PMO did improve the project team's ability to complete a project within budget. Thus,

H3b was supported, but H3a and H3c were not supported. The relative statistics are presented in Table 5.

Project Management Practices Related Hypothesis

Hypothesis 4 suggested that IS project size would influence the use of certain project management practices. In

these tests, each of the 1 3 project management practices are categorical dependent variables (either used or

not used) and IS project size is a metric variable. For this analysis, binary logistic regression was chosen as the

appropriate statistical technique. Only 11 of the project management practices produced meaningful results for

this analysis because DF (scope definition) and RPT (reporting status) displayed no variance. All projects were

reported as utilizing scope definition and all but one utilized project reporting as project management functions,

causing these two practices to appear as constants in the statistical analysis.



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IS project size was not found to be a significant predictor of the use of any particular project management

practice. Therefore, H4 was not supported. The results of the logistic regression are summarized in Table 6.

DISCUSSION

This purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between project size, project management practices,

the project management office, and measures of project performance.

Project Size

We predicted that project size would influence project performance. The statistical findings reveal that project

size did not influence adherence to the project schedule; however, project size was related to budget adherence

and to project quality. Specifically, as project size in increased, it became less likely that the project would be

completed within budget. Moreover, as project size increased, project quality suffered.

As projects increase in size, the cost, project length, number of team members, vendors and required system

connections are greater. Larger projects have more difficulty meeting project budgets due to the cost of the

technology, increased staff allocated to the project, greater number of vendors hired and the longer duration of

the project requiring devoted resources. As project size increases, project quality likely suffers because larger

projects create greater demands for coordination and control. Additionally, larger projects are apt to have many

more quality requirements than smaller projects.

Although not significant, the relationship between IS project size and schedule adherence was found to be

inverse as well, indicating the same issues that harm project budget and quality likely influence project schedule

as well, just not to the same degree. Perhaps project schedules were not affected because larger projects were

comprised of more team members or vendors that aided in the timely execution of the project. If this explanation

were true, it would make sense that the project budget suffered in response. These results certainly warrantfurther investigation to possibly uncover the interplay between the various project performance measures.




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In this study, we expected to find that the use of certain project management practices would be linked to

project size since some IS researchers have suggested a contingent approach in applying certain practices.

However, our prediction was not supported in the statistical analysis. This result could be explained by the

makeup of our sample. The sample consisted of IS project managers identified by the PMI. As members of the

PMI, it is likely that our respondents are familiar with the prescribed project management practices and utilize

them routinely regardless of project size. Thus, the sample may have lacked enough variability to enable the

detection of a true effect. To study these relationships in the future, a more randomized sample will be required.


Because the function of the project management office is to provide a layer of control, we believed that the IS

projects of firms with an established PMO would be more successful than the projects of firms without a PMO.

In our measures of project performance, the PMO was only statistically linked to project budget. This finding

implies that a PMO may have little influence on the quality or schedule adherence of IS projects, but it may

influence the ability to complete a project within budget. Perhaps budget is a more tangible part of project

management and can be measured and/or controlled more easily by the PMO than the less tangible factors of

schedule and quality.

In this study, we also predicted that firms with a PMO would be more likely to use particular project

management practices. However, empirical support was not established for the influence of a PMO on the use

of standard project management practices. One possible explanation for this lack of support is the fact that IS

project managers supplied the sample data. Because these respondents are affiliated with the PMI, it is likely

that they are educated in the use of standard project management practices. Thus, even though their respective

organizations may not support a PMO, the project managers themselves institute standard practices. Another

possible explanation is that because of the recent attention focused on project management in both business

and academia, standard practices are followed by many organizations. Still, there is a need to empirically

substantiate the many claims made regarding die importance of a PMO. For example, a PMO may be more

appropriate for an organization that does not employ certified or professional project managers.Limitations

This work is not without limitations. The use of a respondent population supplied by the PMI may have

introduced project management bias into the sample. In this initial inquiry, we tested only if project size was

related to the use or non-use of standard project management practices and a PMO. The lack of statistical

support for these relationships may be influenced by die sample respondents. Since the survey respondents are

affiliated with the PMI, it is reasonable to believe that most, if not all, of them already appreciate the importance

of standard practices. This limitation may limit die external validity of die study. Hence, a similar study of non-

PMI members is warranted.

A second limitation is die survey response rate. Non-response bias can be a serious threat to the validity ofempirical results in survey research. Hence, the somewhat low response rate in this study may limit die

generalizability of die findings.

We believe that the conditions of contact required by PMI combined with the process of survey administration

may have impacted the level of response. In particular, PMI did not provide email addresses for contact.

Therefore, we were not able to email the survey directly to die potential respondents. Rather, tiiey received an

invitation by mail and were requested to fill out the survey at a given web address. It has been shown that lower

response rates are related to how burdensome it is for the respondent to complete the survey [9].

While die response rate in the current study was low, it is in line with other response rates for web and mail

surveys in IS research. For example, in a field survey on IS project management, die response rate for one

sample ranged from 6.4% to 7.6% [29] and in a survey of CEO and CIO relationships, only 39 sets of responses

from 1500 firms were returned, yielding a 2.6% response rate [18].

Even though we may understand die reason for the low response rate and it is not too dissimilar from other IS



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studies, we must still acknowledge die limitation that the external validity of the study is hampered. However,

even widi this limitation, the study provides valuable insights.

A final limitation is that of a single survey respondent. Respondents were asked to report on their most recently

completed project. However, since project managers chose which projects to report, diere may indeed have

been a tendency to report successful projects. The large number of projects reporting high quality raises a

question as to whether the respondents were biased in the tendency to only report successful projects. This

limitation may also hinder the generalizability of our findings.

Implications

Despite limitations, this study has implications for both IS research and practice. The groundwork has been laid

for further refinement of IS project management research based on the project size variable developed.

Moreover, there is still a need to further define the relationship between IS project size and measures of

performance and particular project management practices For example, what specific factors or processes

mediate the relationship between IS project size and budget and quality? Are there precautions diat can be

taken to lessen the impact of larger projects on these performance measures? This study has revealed many

questions which are still to be answered.

Practitioners gain insight from this study as well. It is clear that IS project size influences certain performance

measures. Large projects require more rigid control to insure budgets and quality objectives are met. Managers

should carefully consider the establishment of a PMO. Organizations which already employ professional project

managers may not glean the same benefit from a PMO as organizations widiout project professionals on staff.

Organizations which have embraced a PMO should consider establishing measures of effectiveness for die

PMO. It is important to ascertain the exact contribution die PMO is making to die organization in order to

calculate its worth.

CONCLUSION

Four important contributions were derived from this study. First, a construct for IS project size was developed

which exhibited acceptable measurement properties. Past researchers have utilized a variety of definitions forproject size and complexity, even blurring the two at times. This research produced a distinct variable for IS

project size which may be useful in future IS project research.

Second, empirical evidence was found to support the direct relationship between IS project size and certain

measures of project performance. In the current study, project size was linked to budget adherence and project

quality. Prior studies have empirically linked project size to project completion, project success and project

budget. This study contributes to established tiieory by affirming the project size-budget link [43]. The study also

contributes to existing dieory by empirically linking project size widi project quality.

Third, as researchers have demanded [21], this study made a first attempt to link IS project size with various

project management practices. Researchers have suggested a contingent choice of project managementpractices based upon the size of a project. We found die vast majority of organizations utilize a common set of

project management practices regardless of project size, indicating that a contingent approach has not been

adopted. As such, this study calls into question prior theoretical discussion regarding the contingent choice of

project management practices.

Finally, this study launched an exploration of die potential value of the project management office. Researchers

must further explore die value of a PMO. The intended benefits of a PMO must be empirically supported or die

PMO is in danger of becoming a fad that organizations follow without recognizing any real advantage. The

emergence of a PMO is the result of the continuing growth in die number IS projects in organizations. In order to

better control these projects, many organizations create a PMO or a position for a Project Management Officer.

The role of a Project Management Officer and the role of die PMO need to be explored further.

IS projects continue to be an important responsibility for organizations. Rapid technology advancements and

globalization of organizations necessitated a fresh look at project management issues in IS. This research was



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an exploration into current IS project management issues. It addressed a lapse in the IS literature regarding the

relationship of IS project size with the use of particular project management practices and measures of project

performance. The study also empirically investigated die role of a PMO in IS projects. Aldiough die results did

not produce an alarming number of statistically significant findings, die fact diat certain relationships were not

established is of keen interest. This research has provided new insights into the project management issues

and uncovered important relationships and non- relationships relative to die IS project environment.

Footnote

1. Partial funding for this research was provided by the Pontikes Center for Management of Information.

2. An earlier version of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the 38th Hawaii International Conference on

Systems Science, Big Island, Hawaii.

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AuthorAffiliation

NANCY L. MARTIN

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Carbondale, IL 62901-4627

J. MICHAEL PEARSON

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Carbondale, IL 62901-4627

KIMBERLY FURUMO

University of Hawai'i at Hilo

Hilo, HI 96720

Appendix

APPENDIX

This appendix contains the survey questions related to the variables of the study reported herein.

Project Performance

1. Was the project completed according to the established schedule?

a. If not, how many months was it late/early?

2. Was the project completed within budget?

a. If not, by what percentage was it over/under?

3. What percentage of the technical and quality objectives set for this project were met?

Project Size

1 . Total estimated cost of the project.2. Length of project in calendar months.

3. Number of existing systems this project had to be integrated with.

4. Number of people on the project team.

5. Total number of individuals outside the organization (vendors/suppliers/consultants) that were involved in the

project.


For the list of project management practices below, if the practice was utilized, indicate the effectiveness of the

practice. 1 = Very Ineffective through 5 = Very Effective. If the practice was not utilized, select Not Used.

1 . Define scope of project.2. Identify stakeholders, decision-makers and escalation procedures.

3. Develop detailed task list (work breakdown structures).

4. Estimate time requirements.

5. Develop initial project management flow chart.

6. Identify required resources and budget.

7. Prepare contingency plan.

8. Identify interdependencies.

9. Identify and track critical milestones.

10. Participate in project phase review.

11 . Secure needed resources.

12. Manage the change control process.

13. Report project status.



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1 . Has your organization established a Project Management Office?

Subject: Information systems; Project management; Studies; Size;

Classification: 5240: Software & systems; 9130: Experiment/theoretical treatment

Publication title: The Journal of Computer Information Systems

Volume:

47

Issue: 4

Pages: 52-60

Number of pages: 9

Publication year: 2007

Publication date: Summer 2007

Publisher: International Association for Computer Information Systems

Place of publication: Stillwater

Country of publication: United States

Publication subject: Education--Computer Applications, Education, Computers

ISSN: 08874417

Source type:

Scholarly Journals

Language of publication: English

Document type: Feature

Document feature: Tables References

ProQuest document ID: 232575973

Document URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/232575973?accountid=38885

Copyright:

Copyright International Association for Computer Information Systems Summer 2007

Last updated: 2014-05-18

Database: ProQuest Central

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