A Social Network Perspective of Information Systems Project Management

This study looks at the social network that exists during information systems development (ISD). By introducing a social network perspective of information systems project management, social network analysis and its concepts of embeddedness, structural holes, and centrality can be used to reveal organizational phenomena that might otherwise be overlooked. In this study we analyze the social network from a successful systems development project in a health care setting, looking particularly at the emergence and role of change agents. The results of this research suggest that the ISD transactions are embedded in the social relations, implying that social relations and ISD must be managed jointly to achieve a successful (system solution) project. Social network analysis allows simultaneously measuring the ISD project transactions and the social relationships that tie them together, providing a new perspective that can be used to build an effective project management infrastructure.