Not in Silos: Locating ERP Project Into a Complex Network, A Multiple-Project Perspective

This paper explores the different aspects and sources of interaction that ERP projects face in multiple projects environment. It adopts Actor Network Theory conceptualisation of network and network building to examine a case study of implementing ERP system in a reputable international organisation. It reveals that ERP project interacts not only with other IS projects as literature on IS project management suggests but more importantly with organizational change projects. The level of interaction ranges between following or competing depending on the organizational status of the change project. It also reveals that competition over management attention rise between projects resulting on attention shift from one project to another. Hence there is a project that would be deemed to loose management attention. The findings extends the scope of IS multiple project management and portfolio management beyond the limited focus on the interactions between IS projects. The study enriches the current conceptual base of project management studies and provides a detailed case study that this recent field generally lacks. On the practice side, the study provides a practical insight and comprehensive view of the implementation of IS projects in multiple projects organizations.