Project Management in IS: Fit Matters

Information systems (IS) projects are ubiquitous in today’s business environment. IS projects vary in size, scope, difficulty and risk-level and combined, these attributes represent a project’s complexity. Previous research has found that most IS projects do not meet budget, schedule and/or quality expectations. In the past, organizations have utilized a variety of project management practices in attempts to better control IS projects. This research-in-progress explores project complexity and project management practices and their fit related to IS project performance. A web-based survey of professional IS project managers is underway and it is anticipated that the respondent data will provide insights into current successful and unsuccessful IS project management practices. It is expected that a framework will be established to identify successful project management techniques for projects of varying complexity.