Information Technology Project Management and Project Success

One of the most important issues for organizations and information technology professionals is the success of information technology (IT) projects. This study reviews a survey of financial executives and examines their views on aspects of project management and project success. First, it was found that overall systems development projects are viewed as being successful by organizations. Next, a series of analyses were performed to assess several variables’ impact on IT project success. Skilled project measurement was found to result in higher IT project success. Restrictions on IT application development were found to correlate to lower IT project success. The most important project consideration did not affect project success. Finally, a significant positive relationship was found between the IT project success and overall IT returns. The implications, limitations, and conclusions of these findings are discussed. The study can be used as a basis for further exploration on project management success, influencing variables, and motivators. The findings can also be used to guide management teams in project management decisions to maximize returns to their organizations. The paper studies a large secondary data sample set, which empirically reviews corporations’ experiences with project management. In addition, it explores variables influencing overall project management success perception. DOI: 10.4018/jitpm.2012070103 32 International Journal of Information Technology Project Management, 3(3), 31-44, July-September 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. (p. 12). Against this backdrop, some researchers have attempted to analyze either reasons for failure or processes that can lead to success. The validity of these dismal returns has been challenged recently, including even the CHAOS report (Eveleens & Verhoef, 2010). As a result, the actual success rates of information technology projects remain elusive.