Identifying the Knowledge Requirements of a New Project Entrant: An Informing Science Approach

IT projects fail for many reasons. Often this is attributed to poor project management; however, knowledge, though a critical resource within organizations and projects, is often overlooked as a cause of project failure. Changes to project teams can affect the knowledge balance within the team and new entrants often have to learn large amounts of information before actively contributing to the project. This research sought to identify the knowledge requirements of new project entrants to enable them to become productive sooner. It also investigated the Inkwenkwesi knowledge model as a framework for defining the knowledge requirements of new project entrants. Employing a novel research approach, the study identified knowledge that was needed prior to starting on the project and knowledge needed during the project, which all contributed positively to the new entrant becoming productive more quickly on a project. The study also concluded that the Inkwenkwesi knowledge model was useful for defining the knowledge needed by new project entrants.