Business Drivers That Influence Information Systems Development

The common underlying hypothesis is that project success of such tasks or projects is related to a fit between either the characteristics of the single project and the management processes or the choice of project strategy and the project's context.Д®ven though these two types of вЂњmisfitвЂќ could cause project failure, the research streams only rarely (Payne & Turner, 1999) consider the influence of a corporate project management system on projects implemented within an organization. These three research streams co-exist, and each is addressing the implementation of unique, time-constrained and complex tasks from a different perspective. Project management: As an implementation concept for time-constrained unique and complex tasks (Midler, 1995 Hobday, 2000 De Meyer, Loch, & Pich, 2002 Muller & Turner, 2007).Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The strategic role of entrepreneurial efforts and innovation (Burgelman, 1983 Dess, Lumpkin, & McGee, 1999 Kanter, 1985 Abernathy & Clark, 1985 Gann & Salter, 2000 van de Ven, 1986).New Product Development: The strategic role of new product development and innovation (Takeuchi & Nonaka, 1986 Wheelwright & Clark, 1992 Hamel & Prahalad, 1994 Brown & Eisenhardt, 1997).From this perspective, project success depends on the choice of the вЂњrightвЂќ strategy under specific contextual conditions.ДЄssociated with differing perspectives on factors contributing to the success and failure of projects has been the development of three relatively independent research streams: According to these studies, a project is not always subordinate to the strategy of a parent organization but could, in fact, influence the organizational strategy. This research stream analyzes the link between a single project and the strategy of an organization and has identified the existence of project strategies that are directly connected to a project's dynamic environment (e.g., Loch, 2000 Gunther McGrath & MacMillan, 2000 Pitsis, Clegg, Marosszeky, & Rura-Polley, 2003). The underlying hypothesis of this perspective proposes that project success is related to choice of the вЂњrightвЂќ management approach related to specific project characteristics.ДЄnother group of authors suggests that the management of projects could be related to the strategy of the firm. The unconditional use of project management standards is criticized, and a misfit between specific project characteristics and the chosen management approach is seen as a major source for project failure. In line with this, several authors claim that the management of a project should be adapted to its specific characteristics (Wheelwright & Clark, 1992 Shenhar & Dvir, 1996 Balachandra & Friar, 1997).

Introduction: Does the Project Management System Fit the Business Strategy?ДЄlthough project management standards have, of necessity, focused on a generic approach to the management of projects, guided by what is applicable to most projects most of the time, there is a growing interest in the differences between projects and their contexts (Crawford, Hobbs, & Turner, 2006 Dvir, Lipovetsky, Shenhar,& Tishler 1998) and how this might influence their management.

Business Drivers That Influence Information Systems Development