BUSI 414 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY - Key Strategies for Successful Information Technology Project.pdf

Section 1: Foundation of the Study

Driven by the success of information technology (IT) project managers and the

projects they administer; technological innovations have taken prominence in much of

the business world. Within the past 30 years, 10 of the top 20 innovations in the world

involved technology and computers (Thomas, 2015) thus indicating the rise in

importance of technological innovations. For business leaders to remain competitive, the

success of IT projects is of paramount importance (Poonpool et al., 2013). To ensure the

success of IT projects, these business leaders must employ project managers who have

shown both an aptitude and successful record of implementing projects and a level of

adaptation to new technology. Project managers who create strategies aligning properly

with the goals of the organization are valuable because the business leaders can then

focus on other portions of the business (Singh & Khamba, 2016). However, because IT

project success rates are as low as 67% (Qin, Guangping, & Xuyan, 2017), IT project

managers and the key strategies they use are important to ensure higher success rates in

an industry that is constantly growing.

Background of the Problem

In 2011, businesses spent $3.7 trillion on IT and information system (IS) projects

with the expectation of success across every project (Wamba et al., 2017). The project

failure rate of 67% is concerning both for experienced project managers and for those

entering the field for the first time (Curtis et al., 2017; Obradovic, Kostic, & Mitrovic,

2016). Even though a 68% failure rate is an improvement from years past, the lack of

success in the project management field directly affects a business and those employed in

it. Leaders of businesses engaging in IT and IS projects expect success to help implement

their business processes, but without a higher success rate, strategies for successful IT

projects are failing at an alarming rate (Lai, Hsu, & Li, 2018).

Researchers have studied success rates of IT and IS projects and the strategies

involved in achieving project success (Javani & Rwelamila, 2016). The deliverable of the

projects includes phases, industries, regions, stakeholders, and organization (Rezvani et

al., 2016). Aaltonen and Kujala (2016) explored the impact on IT and IS project success

of project environment, business strategy, and project strategy. Additional categories for

IT and IS projects include strategic alignment, coordination, clear goals, and

requirements (Hermano & Martin-Cruz, 2016; Singh & Khamba, 2016). Most research

has focused on the categorization of specific project types and the definition of success

for IT and IS projects. In this study, I explored the strategies used by IT project managers

to successfully deliver IT projects.

Problem Statement

With 50% of capital investments in IT projects over the last 10 years, business

leaders need to invest in the right projects to contribute to organizational sustainability

(Bhutani, Kumar, Garg, & Aggarwal, 2016). Despite researchers focusing on explaining

and mitigating the problem of project failure, the success rate for IT projects is 67% with

fewer than 50% of projects completed on time and within budget (Qin et al., 2017). The

general business problem was that some companies are losing productivity and money

due to failed IT projects. The specific business problem was that some project managers

in the IT sector lack strategies for delivering successful IT projects.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies

project managers in the IT sector use for delivering successful IT projects. The targeted

population consisted of six IT project managers from three businesses in Northeast Ohio

who had developed and implemented strategies for delivering successful IT projects. The

implications for social change included the potential for business owners to learn

strategies to successfully complete IT projects, thereby allowing owners to increase and

conserve financial resources to create more jobs or pay higher wages to current

employees. New employees and employees who earn more may spend more money

within their communities, contributing to local economic growth.

Nature of the Study

Qualitative researchers focus on interviewing participants and collecting data

from a natural setting to understand why a phenomenon occurs (Gehman et al., 2018). A

qualitative approach was appropriate for this study because I explored strategies used by

project managers to positively impact the success of IT projects. Researchers using a

quantitative method analyze numeric data to test predetermined hypotheses and to present

justification of research conclusions (Park & Park, 2016). I did not collect and analyze

numeric data to test hypotheses. Therefore, a quantitative method was not appropriate.

Researchers using a mixed methods approach include quantitative and qualitative

components (Annansingh & Howell, 2016). Because I did not use a quantitative element

to explore the strategies used to deliver successful IT projects, a mixed methods approach

was not appropriate.

A researcher uses a case study design to explore a phenomenon and to investigate

a problem within context (Ji, Plakoyiannaki, Dimitratos, & Chen, 2019). The case study

design was appropriate to my research because of the defined boundary of the selected

population for my study topic. I explained, based on this research, the strategies behind

successful IT projects. Researchers use a phenomenological design when attempting to

understand human behavior rather than explaining the behavior (Clayton, 2016). When

researchers use a phenomenological design, they study existence and focus on the

meanings of participants’ lived experiences (Saunders, Lewis,, & Thornhill, 2015). I

explored the strategies project managers use to deliver successful IT projects. Therefore,

the phenomenological method was not appropriate for this study. Researchers use an

ethnographic design to explore the customs of people or communities (Robson, 2016). I

explored the strategies used by IT project managers to support their delivery of successful

projects, so an ethnographic design was not appropriate.

Research Question

RQ: What strategies do project managers in the IT sector use for delivering

successful IT projects?

Interview Questions

1. What strategies have you used to deliver successful IT projects?

2. How did you develop these strategies to deliver successful IT projects?

3. How did you measure the effectiveness of the strategies to deliver successful

IT projects?

4. Based on your measurement of effectiveness, what strategies did you find to

be necessary to deliver successful IT projects?

5. Based on your measurement of effectiveness, what strategies did you find to

be unsuccessful for the delivery of IT projects?

6. Please provide any additional information about strategies for the delivery of

successful IT projects that we have not yet discussed.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework for this study was coordination theory as proposed by

Malone and Crowston in 1990. The tasks, processes, and principles governing the

coordination of a project are all part of coordination theory (Malone & Crowston, 1990).

Included in these tasks, processes, and principles are also identifiers that assist project

members in coordinating not only the activities performed but the project members

themselves. Without coordination in a project, the project manager will likely fail at the

implementation of a project (Madsen, 2013). Crowston (1997) observed that within

coordination theory dependencies exist in any situation but that leaders mitigate these

dependencies in multiple ways. One of these dependencies is risk. Risk exists when

project managers decide how to move forward with those projects. In addition, when

considering the systems development lifecycle for projects managers, a focus on

sequential and linear development is important (Stoica et al., 2016). Project managers can

use coordination theory to deal these and other factors to support their efforts to control

outcomes in administering IT projects (Karpowicz et al., 2018). I used coordination

theory as a lens to explore how project managers develop and deploy strategies to

successfully deliver IT projects in the time allotted while adhering to the budget of the

project. Coordination theory is a tool that project managers can use to achieve project

alignment with stakeholder requirements and resource restraints. Because IT project

managers need structure, coordination theory can be used to explore strategies that

positively impact IT project success rates.

Operational Definitions

Information technology (IT): IT is a function of computing and computers to

store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data for a business (Thatcher, Wright, Heshan,

Zagenczyk, & Klein, 2018).

Information system (IS): IS is a system that collects, organizes, stores, and

communicates information to organizations (Gupta, Kannan, & Sanyal, 2018).

Project life cycle: The project life cycle is a defined set of steps project leaders

use to organize a project. Project teams can use the organization of the project life cycle

to successfully implement a project from start to finish (Ruiz-Espiga, Severino, &

Humero, 2018).

Project manager: A project manager has responsibilities including planning and

execution of a project while also administering the project budget, project plan, and

project charter (Oliveira, Alencar, & Costa, 2018).

Project strategy: Project strategy includes goals and plans for a project and is

closely related to the larger strategy of the parent organization (Kapustin & Grushevenko,

2018).

Systems development life cycle (SDLC): The SDLC is the framework

professionals use to design, create, and test, and deploy software (Kneuper, 2017).

Virtual project teams: Virtual project teams are groups of employees working for

the same business using tools that enable them to communicate and work with one

another while not located in the same area (Zuofa & Ochieng, 2017).

Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations

Assumptions

How a researcher views a phenomenon is a combination of knowledgeable beliefs

and experiences that lead to assumptions (Antonenko, 2015). For this study, I assumed all

participants were project managers and had more than 1 year of experience in the field. I

also assumed that the project managers had completed at least one IT project on time and

on budget. I mitigated these assumptions by vetting each project manager on their

experience and provided them with the background of the study. I further assumed that

the participants would answer all questions truthfully. To allay participant concerns about

confidentiality, I informed participants that each interviewee receives a unique code in

lieu of using their first and last name. Finally, I assumed that I would be able to identify

enough participants in the Northeast Ohio region.

Limitations

Limitations are the challenges and issues that cannot be controlled by the

researcher (Schary & Cardinal, 2016). The main limitation in this study was the

requirement that all participants must be a project manager. From there, I limited the

study to only include project managers with 1 or more years of experience and those who

have achieved success in at least one project. I included only project managers in the

Northeast Ohio region, which limited the generalizability of study findings to other

geographic regions.

Delimitations

Delimitations are those characteristics that researchers use to define the scope of

their research (Hill, Knafl, & Santacroce, 2018). I focused only on the IT project

managers and IT industry located in Northeast Ohio. Because of the assumption that there

is enough research material to focus on the Northeast Ohio region, I limited the study to

only this area.

Significance of the Study

To successfully implement projects, project managers complete many actions to

deliver the project on time and within budget. As Qin et al. (2017) observed, project

managers complete fewer than 50% of projects on time and within budget. Leaders of

organizations might use findings from this study to identify strategies they can implement

to begin and close IT projects with an enhanced likelihood of success.

Contribution to Business Practice

Project managers perform data collection, data analysis, and processing to

successfully implement projects. By understanding and using all phases of the project

lifecycle, project managers may be able to achieve higher rates of project success and

project coordination (van Marrewijk, Ybema, Smits, Clegg, & Pitsis, 2016). Guo (2019)

observed that project managers with a better understanding of the project lifecycle and

processes for improved project coordination incorporated better communication practices

and increased the potential for higher success rates of project implementation. Findings

from this study may assist project managers in identifying strategies they can use to

increase the likelihood of successful project implementations. Project managers who

increase the success rate of project implementations may provide their organizations with

more financial and resource flexibility to support other projects or departments for

improving the organizations’ performance.

Implications for Social Change

Project managers who are more successful in the implementation of IT projects

assist the organization in saving money on projects and enable cost savings to be passed

on to consumers. Project managers can create positive project results by using the

processes of successful IT projects to potentially create an opportunity to hire additional

employees due to the cost savings from IT projects. Guo (2019) observed that successful

administration of projects is of paramount importance to the survival and growth of an

organization. By learning and applying key strategies to deliver successful IT projects,

organizational leaders may increase the effectiveness of their organizations and gain

financial resources necessary to pursue expansion and improve the stability of their

organizations, thereby contributing to the growth of the local economy and communities.

A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature

In this section, I provide a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the

strategies that IT project managers have used to successfully implement IT projects. I

organized the literature review by analyzing broad theories followed with a focused look

at IT project management and successful project implementation. The literature review is

organized into four sections: (a) coordination theory, (b) systems development life cycle,

In the first section, I explain how the conceptual framework is associated with this

study by focusing on coordination theory. Coordination theory was appropriate for this

study because an IT project is a complex and multifunctioning system with numerous

interdependent components requiring coordination to function successfully (Momeni &

Martinsuo, 2019). By using coordination theory, I combined both the smaller scope of the

study and the main functions of how an IT project functions successfully. By using

coordination theory, researchers are able to more deeply explore how and why

components and individuals work together successfully (Crowston, 1997; Malone &

Crowston, 1990).

In the second section, I provide a review of the current literature regarding the

definition and application of the SDLC. The SDLC phases include systems planning,

systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation, and systems maintenance

(Church, Schmidt, & Smedley, 2016). Because of the amount of risk involved in IT

projects, IT project managers must control as much of the process as possible while also

monitoring the changes in technology and the IT industry to be successful (Thalmann et

al., 2014). IT project managers assist organizational leadership by implementing

solutions that will best assist those organizational leaders in making the best decisions for

the organization. The strategies implemented by organizational leadership depend, to an

extent, on the effectiveness of IT project success and implementation (Williams, 2016).

Because of the importance of IT projects, project managers must understand the phases of

the SDLC and must successfully navigate each phase to completion for the best results

for the organization.

In the third section, I review the current literature regarding the definition and

application of the project life cycle. The phases of the project life cycle include initiating,

planning, executing, closing, monitoring, and controlling (van Marrewijk et al., 2016).

Similar to the SDLC, the project life cycle involves a level of uncertainty because of the

technology and changes within the technology industry. Project managers must fully

understand the project life cycle to control the responsibilities and tasks involved in each

successive phase (Rasnacis & Berzisa, 2017). The project life cycle includes the same set

of successive phases that will occur one after another as each phase completes

(Yalegama, Chileshe, & Ma, 2016). Project managers who understand the project life

cycle and are capable of controlling tasks and resources of each phase are more likely to

be successful than those project managers unable to exert control.

In the fourth section, I review the current literature regarding project management

as a discipline. The principles and procedures of project management create a foundation

for both project managers and organizations to deliver the best possible product or

service (Martens & Carvalho, 2017). Due to the increasing complexity and difficulty of

successfully implementing IT projects, project managers are required to understand the

processes and procedures of project manager at an expert level (Torp & Klakegg, 2016).

The project management tenets provide a foundation for a project manager to be

successful in the implementation of a successful IT project. Organizational leaders and

project managers explore potential informational cues to define a successful IT project

and also use that information to determine additional changes or updates (Zickert &

Beck, 2012).

For the literature review, I gathered information related to the research question

from peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, doctoral studies, and related academic

websites. My primary location for gathering data was the Walden University databases. I

used the Business Source Complete, ABI/INFORM Collection, Emerald Insight, SAGE

Journal, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global databases as the primary sources

for researching and documenting journal articles. I used related academic websites to

locate articles that contained information related to the research question. For the

database searches, I used the same set of keywords to locate articles. The primary

keywords included project management, information technology, information technology

project management, systems development life cycle, project life cycle, information

technology projects, and coordination theory.

I cited 219 literature sources in this study. Of those 219 sources, 212 were peer-

reviewed and 163 were within 5 years of the anticipated publication of this study. In

Table 1, I provide the literature source statistics for the (a) total number of sources; (b)

number of peer-reviewed sources; (c) number of sources within 5 years of the anticipated

graduation date of September, 2020; (d) percentage of peer-reviewed sources related to

the total number of sources; and (e) percentage of sources within 5 years of the

anticipated graduated date of September, 2020, related to the total number of sources.

Table 1

Summary of Literature Review Sources

Total sources

Peer-reviewed

sources

Sources published

within five years

(2016 - 2020)

Sources (number)

219

212

163

Percentage

100%

97%

74%

The topic of this qualitative multiple case study was the exploration of key

strategies for the successful implementation of IT projects. To explore these strategies, I

used coordination theory as the conceptual framework for the study. Researchers using

the coordination theory analyze the procedures and activities of specific segments of the

business and how those specific segments affect the organizational effectiveness when

coordinated properly (Crowston, 1997; Jing et al., 2018).

Coordination Theory

Project managers must use a method that assists them in setting up and

completing the project. Malone and Crowston (1990) developed the body of principles

known as coordination theory. Coordination theory includes the coordination of activities

that describes and defines how individuals work together (Crowston, 1997; Malone &

Crowston, 1990). The coordination of activities and information processing by more than

a single team member is greater than that of a single team member, thus creating a benefit

for the project manager to manage dependencies between projects (Crowston, 1997).

Organizational coordination refers to multiple groups or individuals working to complete

specific tasks (Havakhor & Sabherwal, 2018). Project managers are tasked with

coordinating human and nonhuman resources to best complete projects (Malone &

Crowston, 1994). As defined by Malone and Crowston (1994), effective coordination is

not seen and is unnoticed by most.

When leaders make a concerted effort to increase the level of coordination within

an organization, collaboration improves, and teams work together more effectively. By

coordinating both the economic and social influence of an organization, leaders can

enhance organizational performance and effectiveness (Santos & Baptista, 2016).

Leadership empowering individuals is essential to increasing the amount of coordination

throughout all levels of work. These individual team members use different types of

coordination to work with others on their teams by creating points of reference that are

easily managed (Luna & Terra da Silva, 2015). The types of coordination found by Luna

and Terra da Silva (2015) were the forming of shared goals and objectives, the building

of a shared knowledge base, and the creation and development of common language to

more easily communicate. This sharing of goals, objectives, knowledge, and language

improves organizational capabilities by enhancing communication amongst team

members. Coordination is a required function for project managers and those managers

using the principles of coordination theory to successfully implement IT projects.

Researchers from many disciplines use the tenets of coordination theory.

Coordination theory affects numerous disciplines, including computer sciences,

management sciences, economics, linguistics, and psychology (Malone & Crowston,

1994). Because of the versatility of coordination theory, I used it as a lens to explore the

strategies used by IT project managers to successfully implement and execute projects.

Four coordination processes and groups identified by Malone and Crowston (1994) are

the following: (a) management of shared resources and assignments of tasks, (b)

management of producer-consumer relationships, (c) management of tasks occurring

simultaneously, and (d) management of task and subtask relationships. Project managers

use each of the four coordination processes identified while implementing projects

successfully. Project managers also govern dependencies within the project which are

directly related to the coordination processes and project success (Crowston, 1997).

While governing these dependencies, effective project managers work through all four

coordination processes instead of only focusing on one process.

IT project managers must manage project teams and the resources, time, and

capital, while coordinating the actions of all resources interacting together. Because

functional boundaries exist within an organization, leaders must create coordination

processes to empower the project managers to achieve success (Jiang & Klein, 2014).

The significance of the success of project managers is on display because of the

importance of competitive advantage in global business. Project managers using the

coordination principles and processes ensures the success of IT projects, thus increasing

the competitive advantage of an organization (Banks, Pollack, & Seers, 2016). To

achieve corporate goals such as competitive advantage and successful project

implementation, IT leaders must focus on coordinating and engaging the project teams

and activities.

Resource allocation is a central concept for project managers. Successful project

managers create processes for resource allocation activities to ensure consistency across

multiple tasks and projects. The assignment of resources to tasks and the determined

amount of time each task requires is included in the planning of the project manager

(Malone & Crowston, 1994). Few organizations have unlimited resources to dedicate to

every project, so the importance of reliable resource allocation practices is easily visible.

Successful project managers create reasonable and easily understood project plans and

resource allocation plans to help leadership understand the resources needed to complete

a project, thus demonstrating why a specific project should receive resources over

another project (Parameswar, Dhir, & Dhir, 2017). The producer-consumer relationship

involves a notification process resulting in an activity creating an output that another

party can use in a separate activity (Malone & Crowston, 1994). Project managers must

manage interrelated tasks and resources, thus showing the importance of the producer-

consumer relationship where the output of one team directly affects another team or team

member. The communication between and among groups regarding decisions are an

important facet of every phase of the project to ensure consistent and reliable use of

coordination theory (Rodriguez, Ortega, & Concepcion, 2016).

IT project managers focus on implementing procedures and methods that help

them facilitate communication and success. Organizational leaders and project managers

determined these procedures and methods to ensure proper alignment with teams and

resources. Project managers focus on the alignment of organizational goals, teams, and

resources to achieve the goals of projects as laid out by leadership teams. When project

management or organizational leadership do not create the necessary coordination and

alignment, mistakes occur in the project, thus creating issues for project team members

and leadership (Jiang, Klein, & Fernandez, 2018). All leaders, project managers, and

team members should have a basic and shared understanding of the goals of the project

leading to a greater amount of collaboration and coordination among groups within an

organization (Xia, Dawande, & Mookerjee, 2016). When project managers accomplish

alignment of goals and coordination, the project team has a better understanding of what

is required of them. Leaders in the organization also require alignment of goals and the

project teams to implement effective strategies to ensure success.

All project teams have a multitude of activities to complete the project goals and

interaction among these teams is an important part of organizations. Xia et al. (2016)

found that effective and efficient collaboration among teams proved why activity

coordination is so important to project managers. Complex projects and processes require

more coordination to be successful; otherwise, it is possible for activities to become out

of sync. When project activities are not properly aligned, the project manager is at risk

for failing to meet expectations and requirements as set forth by stakeholders. Because of

a high degree of complexity of some IT projects, project managers must have a full

understanding of the project, the resources available, and the goals of the project. If the

project manager does not maintain effective coordination, the functions of the project can

become inefficient or corrupt, thus causing more work, longer timeframes, and increased

use of resources (Jiang et al., 2018). Through clean and efficient coordination practices, a

project manager increases the likelihood of project success and positive communication

with stakeholders (Xia et al., 2016).

Communication amongst project managers and their project teams is of

paramount importance to the goals of project managers and the project stakeholders.

Patanakul, Kwak, Zwikael, & Liu (2016) found that efficient and timely coordination

processes increase the likelihood of success of a project. Project managers can manage

large projects or small projects, but the complexity of large projects likely includes

additional tasks and communication for the project manager. As projects increase in size,

coordination of activities including communication, resource use, and team expenditures

become more important. Establishing effective coordination processes at the beginning of

a project is necessary to avoid a change in processes later or to avoid costly errors (Jiang

& Klein, 2014). Stakeholders expect the coordination processes to achieve positive

results and rely on the project manager to ensure these processes are occurring along with

communication along all levels of the project.

One of the most vital skills for a project manager to possess is the ability to

coordinate with project stakeholders and project team members. According to Wang Han,

de Vries, & Zuo (2016), there are three project features that require some level of

coordination by a project manager and the project team. To be successful, members of the

project team must solve all issues and continually work toward the goal as set forth by the

stakeholders. Project managers use the first feature of identifying projects as being large

or small to demonstrate the importance of effective coordination functions. Project

managers then focus on the second feature of requiring increased coordination of

activities as the project environment changes or adapts, which potentially causes

confusion in the project life cycle. Lastly, project managers are required to ensure that all

those project tasks that increased in complexity are operating interdependently,

efficiently, and effectively to properly coordinate all tasks. Project managers increase the

amount of coordination in complex projects to decrease the level of confusion for all

activities taking place with the project. Also, by creating more effective coordination

strategies, project managers enable the project team and stakeholders to collaborate with

one another to reduce the risk of error and increase the likelihood of project success (Xia

et al., 2016).

Project managers coordinating amongst all teams to work toward a common goal

assist the project teams in accomplishing the tasks needed to complete the project. Poor

coordination among project teams can lead to poor communication of project

requirements, lack of communication throughout the different levels of stakeholders,

unnecessary increased expenditures, and defects in the project tasks (Doherty, 2011).

Project managers can avoid many of these pitfalls by implementing effective

coordination at the beginning of the project and ensuring there is an open line of

communication to all levels of the project. Coordination theory does have limitations,

however. Sanchez, Terlizzi, & de Moraes (2017) found that the cognitive aspects of

situations such as the different ways people think and communicate those thoughts are

not considered and thus may not be the most complete theory. Because I chose to focus

on all aspects of a successful project manager, coordination theory was the best choice to

focus on the entire process rather than only the cognitive processes that Sanchez et al.

(2017) studied. Project managers effectively managing the project team understand that

the cognitive process is an important part of coordinating activities, but it is not the only

process. By focusing too much time on an individual process, project managers may lose

sight of the goal and why they chose coordination theory.

Project stakeholders and project managers analyze the requirements and needs of

an organization to best address how a project is constructed. Contingency theory is the

idea that the best course of action to operate a business is contingent upon both internal

and external factors (Worren, 2017). Project managers and leaders of organizations use

contingency theory of management to create an organization based on what the

environments in which they are working require (Worren, 2017). Leaders in the

organization should not not limit their management to one management approach. Some

leaders adapt and change their management method based on the environment they are

working in and the demands of that environment (Longenecker & Pringle, 1978). I did

not choose to pursue research using the contingency theory of management because I

wanted to focus on how coordination happens in an environment that is largely constant

and does not change rapidly. I chose coordination theory over the contingency theory of

management so I could more easily research and study situations that were not in a

constant or near-constant state of change due to project needs. Project managers must

consider how the interdependence of systems in a project affects the stakeholders and

project team and must adjust accordingly (Santos & Baptista, 2016; VanVactor, 2015).

The final theory I considered using as a framework for this study was the theory

of constraints. Project managers use the theory of constraints as a guiding tool to manage

the day-to-day and long-term goals of an organization (Parker Dressel, Chevers, &

Zeppetella, 2018). I chose not to use the theory of constraints as the framework for my

study because the theory states that the single most limiting factor in project processes

must be identified and then improved upon (Killen, 2017). Rather than focus on only one

process improvement at a time, I preferred to research all strategies included in successful

projects. Additionally, in researching the strategies that project managers use to

successfully complete projects, there can still be process improvement on a broader scale

rather than focusing on only one issue at a time.

In selecting coordination theory as the framework of my study, I recognized the

entirety of the scope of my project and so limited myself to only one theory. Because

coordination is such an important aspect of all projects, focusing on this aspect of project

management allowed me to gain information from my research and interviews that I used

to advance the study of successful projects. I used the basic principles of coordination

theory to research and determine how project managers manage the expectations of the

stakeholders as well as the needs of the project team (see Momeni & Martinsuo, 2019).

Project managers can increase the likelihood of project success by developing

coordination strategies that assist both the stakeholders and project team and

communicate expectations and goals (Xia et al., 2016). With each successful project

implementation, project managers should record the processes and strategies that were

effective and use those strategies on future projects to increase the chance of project

success.

Systems Development Life Cycle

The SDLC was developed to improve the success of IT projects and to increase

efficiencies within those projects. Organizational leaders began to understand the

importance of refined and coordinated activities within an IT project because of the

increased capabilities of technology (Zou, Kiviniemi, & Jones, 2016). The

implementation of IT projects is a complex undertaking that requires both individual and

team coordination to successfully build a product as specified by requirements from

stakeholders. The SDLC is divided into five distinct phases: (a) system planning, (b)

system analysis, (c) system design, (d) system implementation, and (e) system

maintenance (Church et al., 2016). Project managers use the SDLC and associated phases

to monitor each task assigned to a project team member and to gauge the progress made

at each phase (Stingl & Geraldi, 2017). When used properly by project managers and

stakeholders, the SDLC is a powerful tool to increase the likelihood of success for any

given project. While each phase in the SDLC has specific tasks and timelines associated

with it, project managers can oversee multiple phases of a project at one time because

some tasks do not line up perfectly chronologically and must be completed before or after

another task.

System planning. The system planning phase is the time the project manager

uses to assess what the stakeholders require. The system planning phase is also the time

the project manager spends estimating timelines and resources required to complete the

project. The project managers and stakeholders set goals, define targets, establish

schedules, and estimate budgets for the new project during the system planning phase

(Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). Project managers use project planning documents and meeting

minutes to organize the system planning phase (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). During the

planning phase, project managers explain to stakeholders the strategic value of the project

and the benefits incurred by the organization (Khaparde, Somani, & Malde, 2015).The

system planning process is integral to the system development life cycle as it is necessary

for it to occur before project managers and stakeholders can move on to the system

analysis as a lack of planning may result in incorrect goals and misunderstanding of the

project. Project managers plan as much of the system development life cycle as possible

and implement the timelines and guidelines proposed.

System analysis. After the project manager has planned the high-level view of

what the project will look like, an analysis is performed on the current system and how

the new system will interact with it. The system analysis phase also includes the

limitations, risks, and assumptions the project manager must analyze and understand

(Church et al., 2016). The project managers and stakeholders analyze all interacting

components of the project and also analyzes the operational procedures of the

organization (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). Using a system interface and pseudocode are what

project managers do to organize the system analysis phase (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). By

determining the needs and requirements stakeholders have for a project, project managers

can start the next phase of the system development life cycle (Church et al., 2016).

System design. The system design of any project is of the utmost importance to a

project manager and the project team. The system design phase is where the planning of

the system and analysis of the current and future systems combine to form a complete

picture of what the project team will work toward (Tilk, 2016). This phase includes

involving project managers, system architects, and business analysts to create a system

design that will not only enhance the current system but will work with all other systems.

The members of the project team define the architecture, components, modules,

interfaces, and data of the new system to address all requirement specifications (Sabri &

Alfifi, 2017). An application flow and data flow diagram are useful to project managers

when organization the system design phase as well as using system specifications so the

system is well-defined (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). Also included in the system design phase

are the establishment of a code review process, the creation of testing requirements, and

the creation of a traceability matrix (Tilk, 2016). Project managers use these tools to align

the project resources and goals and to move into the implementation phase.

System implementation. The system implementation phase is the phase in which

much of the visible work is performed by the project team. Software developers spend

nearly all of their time implementing the system or solution that has been planned,

analyzed, and designed by other members of the team (Aljawarneh, Alawneh, & Jaradat,

2017). During the system implementation phase, the project team processes all data,

installs the new or updated product, trains users and stakeholders on the use of the new or

updated product, and provide any other support needed to complete the project (Sabri &

Alfifi, 2017). Project managers organize the system implementation phase by rolling out

actual program code and using a graphic user interface to display all the changes or

updates made to the product (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). Architectural changes may take place

during the system implementation phase if conflicts arise when developers are creating

the product (Aljawarneh et al., 2017). When this occurs the project manager must gather

all necessary information to make an informed decision before completing the project and

moving into the maintenance phase.

System maintenance. The system maintenance phase occurs directly after the

system implementation phase but both can occur concurrently depending upon the

structure of the project. This phase is planned for by the project manager, organizational

leadership, and software engineers to ensure the outputs of a completed project continue

to function beyond the timeline of the project (Kumari & Srinivas, 2016). After system

implementation or during the implementation phase, members of the project create data

backups, install and manage malware components, install file system maintenance, and

perform any other general maintenance as needed by the requirements of the project and

the requirements set forth by the customer (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). The project team

creates reports and change management documents to organize the system maintenance

phase (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). These reports and change management documents are

especially important because they are included in organizational documents beyond the

project and those project team members tasked with maintaining the product after the

project has been completed can use those documents to understand what is needed and

how tasks can be accomplished best (Kumari & Srinivas, 2016). Without the

documentation of how the system works, the project manager would struggle to maintain

the product and the system maintenance phase would become much more involved.

Project Life Cycle

The four phases of the project life cycle are the initiating phase, the planning

phase, the executing phase, and the closing of the project. During these four phases,

changes occur within a project that are oftentimes unpredictable and must be managed by

a project manager (van Marrewijk et al., 2016). The sequencing of these changes and

phases to ultimately accomplish the goal of the project is the entirety of the project life

cycle (Saghir & Abdullahi, 2017). Different activities from each of these phases can

occur simultaneously but the phases themselves occur in a logical and meaningful order

to give a project a viable solution and timeline (Yalegama et al., 2016). The initiating

phase always comes first as this starts the project and leadership determines the direction

from that point.

Included in the project life cycle are the steps of gathering of requirements,

analysis of those requirements, designing an applicable solution to the project that is to be

solved, and finally implementing that solution once it has been developed and tested

(Rasnacis & Berzisa, 2017). The business requirements come from the business idea to

initiate the project and system, and technical specifications follow (Addas &

Pinsonneault, 2016). Leaders recognize the need for change by using informational cues

and focusing on the interdependencies among these cues to determine where processes

and practices can be improved or built upon (Zickert & Beck, 2012). When leadership

communicates these changes, project managers are then expected to follow through with

initiating the project life cycle to accomplish the goals set forth.

An important facet of the project life cycle is the activity of estimating of the time

and resources required to complete the requested changes and accomplish the goals

determined necessary by leadership. Before the development phase occurs, the project

manager and stakeholders plan the project to determine the necessary resources for

expedient and successful completion of the project (Korytkowski, 2019). The time

estimation of project managers is directly impacted by three factors: preparation,

production, and proving (Armour, 2013). The first factor, preparation, involves the setup

of infrastructure such as servers, tools, and applications as well as the sourcing of staff to

prepare for actual production (Armour, 2013). The second factor, production, occurs

when the work is being completed and development is performed by the development

team under the guidance of the project manager (Armour, 2013). The third factor,

proving, occurs when development has completed and testing as well as fixing is

performed by the development again under the guidance of the project manager (Armour,

2013).

Project managers and stakeholders have been using iterations of the project life

cycle for years. The project life cycle has evolved from a basic viewpoint of project

managers in the 1980s to now include the planning phase in all preparation (Badewi,

2016). Previously, the planning phase was not included until leadership recognized the

importance of stakeholder management on project success and so the planning phase was

included more frequently (Badewi, 2016). The additional tasks within the planning phase

for project managers and stakeholders include refining objects and goals and determining

risk and resource allocation (Almgren, 2014). Organizational leadership started adopting

the principles of the project life cycle with the understanding that projects with increased

amounts of structure are more likely to succeed than those projects without the structure

and guidance of a project manager in place (Badewi, 2016).

Initiating phase. The first phase of the project life cycle is the initiation phase.

The tasks included in this phase are the setup of the project including identification of

any issues that exist, solutions proposed to solve the issue, objectives to be achieved

during the course of the project, and conceptual aspects pertaining to how to complete

identified activities (Portillo-Tarragona, Scarpellini, Moneva, Valero-Gil, & Aranda-

Uson, 2018). Also included in the initiating phase are tasks that leadership to create the

definition of the project using a full investigation of possible solutions, the scope of work

to be completed as well as what is out of scope, risk analysis, and finances and other

resources available to start and complete the project (Portillo-Tarragona et al., 2018).

Organizational leaders must evaluate what needs to be accomplished and must also

ensure the project aligns correctly with the corporate strategy and vision (Joslin &

Müller, 2016).

The initiating phase is where the project starts and where organizational

leadership communicate clear goals. By definition, if there is no initiating phase then the

project has not officially started as this marks the beginning of any project (Krajcik,

2013). The ideas and goals set forth by organizational leadership are of paramount

importance; otherwise, no work can be accomplished. Organizational leaders determine

project scope as well (Kocherla, 2012). Stakeholders create a risk management plan and a

cost-benefit analysis (Kocherla, 2012). Also important to note is that there are many

activities that overlap not only for the initiating phase but for all phases because tasks

need to be completed in a timely manner and dependencies and interdependencies exist

among the phases (Portillo-Tarragona et al., 2018).

Many roles are involved in the project life cycle beyond the stakeholders and

organizational leadership. Those roles include product owners, project managers,

business analysts, system analysts, and quality assurance analysts (Kocherla, 2012). The

definition of roles by organizational leadership is important because confusion will be

avoided as to who is responsible for what task (Portillo-Tarragona et al., 2018). After

assembling the team, communicating objectives, and defining tasks, the final artifact is an

approved project charter to maintain consistency with the objectives of the project

(Yalegama et al., 2016).

Planning phase. The planning phase is the second phase of the project life cycle.

The tasks included in this phase are for leadership to refine the objectives and goals as

well as determine the risk for the project and resource allocation (Almgren, 2014). The

project manager and all stakeholders collaborate to determine the information

communicated to the project team to complete the project, discuss primary risks, define

what a successful project is considered, and allocate required resources (Saghir &

Abdullahi, 2017). The planning phase is especially important because this is the time

stakeholders and project managers come together to plan the entire project and put

together a logical plan to achieve the best results (Cleland, 2007). If leaders lay out

logical and efficient goals and tasks on how to accomplish those goals, the entire project

team benefits from leadership with a clear understanding of why the project exists.

During the planning phase, stakeholders and project managers must evaluate the

impact the project will have on an organization during the project and after the project

has completed. Employee practices and tasks, organizational processes, and customer

relations are affected by the decisions of leadership on why and how a project should be

completed (Kocherla, 2012). The stakeholders and project managers must determine what

the goals of the project are, how to achieve those goals, how to create a schedule and

timeline, and how to create an estimation of the need of resources such as time,

employees, and finances (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). By establishing these guidelines for the

project during the planning phase, stakeholders can ensure tasks are done on time with

the resources that are needed available for use.

The planning phase of a project is integral not only for setting requirements for

the project but also because project managers and stakeholders can come together to

create avenues for communication and directly discuss expectations. Project managers

and stakeholders must consider the planning phase to be a primary part of the entire

project to be successful (Alsharo, Gregg, & Ramirez, 2017). All responsibilities must be

split among the stakeholders and project managers. Project managers are responsible for

most of the planning while stakeholders are responsible for looking ahead and understand

that expectations and requirements may alter in the future as the project evolves (Cleland,

2007). Even though project leadership cannot anticipate all possible changes and events,

all those involved in the planning phase must do their best to draw upon their experiences

and knowledge to anticipate as many of the challenges as possible that may arise during

the project to ensure success.

Another piece of the planning phase includes analysis of the risks associated with

the project as well as contingency planning in the instance that the original planning does

not accomplish all objectives or risks are encountered that need to be mitigated. A tool

developed to analyze and assess risk is named the risk matrix and this contains each of

the risks identified by stakeholders and project managers in the order of their impact and

the likelihood of them occurring (Ahamed, 2012). If the impact of a risk is low or the

likelihood of the risk occurring is low, project managers assign this risk a lower value

because it is unlikely to affect the project when compared with other risks. Project

managers and stakeholders perform this analysis during the planning phase (Project

Management Institute [PMI], 2017).

The last part of the planning phase involves project managers and stakeholders

creating detailed lists of necessary activities to achieve project success. These necessary

activities are then assigned by the project managers to the appropriate resources while

also estimating the duration of each of these activities (Ahamed, 2012). After the

estimation is completed, the resources must be scheduled to align properly with when

these tasks need to be completed as this allows project managers to successfully

communicate with both stakeholders and project team members (Ahamed, 2012).

Stakeholders and project managers assign the responsibilities and resource allocation

after reviewing processes and the requirements of the project (Karpovsky & Galliers,

2015). When analyzing requirements for the customer, stakeholders and project managers

must understand the requirements of the customer in the present as well as the

requirements of the customer after the project has been completed.

Executing phase. The executing phase primarily includes the tasks performed by

the project team to create a product as specified by the customer. The project manager

monitors costs to ensure the budget is followed as closely as possible. The project

manager performs this task by coordinating the actions and tasks of the project team and

communicating to project stakeholders regularly (Hak, Morandi, & Magenes, 2018).

Project managers start the executing phase after all tasks have been created, timelines are

communicated, project success is defined, and all necessary resources have either been

obtained or a plan is created to ensure the resources are available when needed (Windapo,

Oyewobi, & Zwane, 2014). By properly aligning resources and expectations before the

start of the executing phase, project managers can increase the likelihood of success and

allows them more time to focus on unexpected issues that may arise during the course of

the project.

The executing phase for a software project involves many actors including

software architects, project managers, project stakeholders, business analysts, software

developers and several others. Every actor in a project has a specific role to play during

the executing phase. The software architect and customer work closely together along

with the project manager to design a product that works best for the customer (Sabri &

Alfifi, 2017). The business analyst works with all team members to gather and interpret

business requirements while the software developer works on the implementation of the

project per the designs of the software architect (Sabri & Alfifi, 2017). When the project

team works together effectively and completes their tasks successfully, the likelihood of

on-time project success increases. The software architect will deliver a design for a

software developer to create while the business analyst gathers business requirements

before any designs have begun. The business analyst gathers requirements and works

with the team to deliver those business requirements in a more technical way to help

create technical documentation. The project manager must cultivate positive

communication practices to listen to what the customer needs and to translate those needs

into a product (Vasumanthy & Mohan, 2013).

During the executing phase, the project manager may need to change small or

large portions of the project to suit the needs of the customer. The project manager may

also be required to change the structure of the project due to internal or external factors

that are not in the control of the project team. These internal and external factors are most

commonly changes to time, resources, and team members (PMI, 2017). Even those teams

consisting of the most skilled project team members may encounter unanticipated delays

or issues (Vasumanthy & Mohan, 2013). When changes occur, the project manager must

communicate expectations and how the project team will stay on track to complete the

project in a timely manner.

Closing phase. The project manager initiates the closing phase of a project when

all tasks are completed or accepted as complete. As part of completion, the customer

reviews and accepts the project deliverables (Yalegama et al., 2016). This review and

acceptance of deliverables by the customer may take a significant amount of time

because the customer will ensure all components of the project work as specified

(Yalegama et al., 2016). A major component of most projects and a stipulated condition

of customers is the timeliness of a completed project as delivered by one organization to

another. Because project stakeholders and project managers are unable to correctly

anticipate every detail throughout the project, it is possible that the project may extend

beyond the original date of completion. Project stakeholders must intervene when it is

apparent that a project will not complete on time and work with both the project team and

the customer to determine the best path to success (Yalegama et al., 2016).

The impact of the project managers and stakeholders managing the closing phase

appropriately cannot be overstated. If the closing phase is correctly performed, the project

team conducting the project is likely to have a greater chance of success in delivering the

project to the customer more quickly than if the closing phase is not performed

appropriately or at all (Yalegama et al., 2016). A project manager can use the time spent

during the closing phase to schedule meetings with organizational leadership, other

project managers, the project teams, and with the customer to determine those actions

deemed most successful and those deemed unsuccessful (Kocherla, 2012). Although

every project is different, important lessons learned by the project teams can be

implemented in future projects to help increase the likelihood of success.

Monitoring and controlling. The project managers and stakeholders monitor and

control aspects of a project. Project managers perform monitoring and controlling

activities throughout the life of the project and beyond completion of the project (PMI,

2017). This aspect of the project is crucially important because all activities should be

monitored and controlled to ensure the best results. Without proper monitoring and

controlling of all tasks of a project, the project manager may lose track of where the

project is, what tasks are being completed by project team members, and may report

inaccurate updates to the project stakeholders. The project manager must manage the

time of all tasks including the overall timeline of the project, the cost of the project and

each individual component of the project, and the overall quality of the work to ensure it

meets the standards set forth by organizational leadership (Kocherla, 2012). Also

included in the responsibilities of the project manager is to communicate properly with

stakeholders and link all work together in a cohesive manner so as to efficiently complete

all tasks (Kocherla, 2012). During the course of the project, the project team may

encounter issues or changes to the project structure and it is the responsibility of the

project manager to continually update success factors and risk with the changes

(Kocherla, 2012). Simultaneously, while the project manager manages the responsibilities

of the project, they must also collaborate with organizational leadership to create

reporting structures to follow all facets of the project and also to monitor project

performance (Wysocki, 2014). Without the appropriate level of oversight and

management of a project by project managers, the risk for failure or extra costs increases.

Communication among all levels of the organization is key to ensuring

monitoring is performed successfully by project managers. Project managers can perform

this communication and monitoring using formal or informal methods. Both of these

methods are important to the project as both formal and informal strategies performed by

project managers are useful in different ways (Mao, Liu, Zhang, & Deng, 2016). Formal

control is defined as a rigid set of measures and rules with which project teams interact

and perform their tasks while informal control is directed by project managers at forming

a cohesive team and ensure that everyone on the project team can work together,

communicate in a logical and thoughtful manner, and perform their tasks and others

while working closely with the team (Mao et al., 2016; Marks, O’Connor, & Clarke,

2017). Even with the strictest of guidelines, however, a project manager cannot guarantee

success of the project because there are many other variables that need accounted for

outside of the full control of the project team.

Project managers must use control of the project as a tool to successfully manage

a project. However, the control a project manager has over a project is only one factor for

project success. Both project stakeholders and project managers should understand that

all employees perform differently and all need to be monitored and controlled in a

different way to work as efficiently as possible (Abbasianjahromi, Sepehri, & Abbasi,

2018). One of the keys to working correctly with all levels of an organization is gaining

an understanding of what each employee needs to succeed and it is then the job of the

project manager to research and implement strategies that complement the skills and

abilities of each employee (Abbasianjahromi et al., 2018). These levels of control include

basic performance management performed by the project manager and the stakeholders

to ensure everyone on the project team is correctly aligned and everyone is working

toward the same goal.

Project Management

Employee turnover and loss is a starting point to determine if the selection of

Agile or Waterfall methodologies contributes to turnover and loss. March and Simon

(1958) introduced the distal-proximal turnover framework to research why employees

leave a business. March and Simon observed employees leaving because the employees

felt they were contributing more than what they were receiving from the business.

Secondly, March and Simon observed that employees moved if they truly want to move

and if they can easily move. Lastly, March and Simon also observed that employees will

leave under certain conditions, but there are other conditions that were not taken into

consideration. However, the foundation built by this research allowed for researchers

later to expand upon the content (Venkatesh, Brown, & Sullivan, 2016).

Before a researcher begins analysis of employee turnover, the first task completed

is researching why turnover occurs. The research performed by March and Simon (1958)

is a start to analyzing why employee turnover occurs. Research, methods, and

communication have changed since 1958, but it is still important to note that the two

aspects of the turnover theory are still relevant today. Many more aspects were added to

the research performed by March and Simon, but their studies formed the foundation of

this research. The IT industry experiences a high turnover rate amongst younger

employees due to the availability of higher salaries at other organizations but largely

experiences similar turnover reasons as other industries (Guha & Chakrabarti, 2016).

Employee turnover is a result of several factors including my research of choice on the

selection of project management methodologies.

Researchers must take a step to analyze the risk of a project while also

researching ways to mitigate any issue that arises. Acevedo (2016) explored the strategies

used by IS and IT project managers to control and mitigate risk for their projects. This

study uses the coordination framework posed by Malone and Crowston (1990) explaining

how to coordinate tasks and how employees can work together to accomplish those tasks.

Acevedo (2016) observed that project managers receiving support from the leaders of the

business is the main factor for project success or failure. With the support leaders,

employees can move forward on the project knowing their work is useful and

appreciated. Because the research is limited to Puerto Rico, the results may not test the

same in other areas. A replication of the study performed by Acevedo in different areas is

needed to observe if the results are the same or different in other parts of the world.

By selecting a specific region to perform research, researchers narrow the focus of

the research thus allowing for more time spent on a specific subject. Acevedo’s (2016)

research is specific to Puerto Rico but is well-situated within the coordination framework

research performed by Malone and Crowston (1990). Acevedo observes the same results

and characteristics and focuses on support from management. The same research can be

done in other areas of the world and with other businesses to identify gaps in the current

literature. Many of these studies are likely to come to the same conclusion, but further

research needs performed to identify gaps and resolve issues that arise from those gaps.

Managing projects comes with risks the project manager must understand and

mitigate as needed. Project managers and project stakeholders have a general

understanding of project risk thus application of project risk management is an important

facet to the organizational project life cycle (Javani & Rwelamila, 2016). The loss of

resources such as time and money can result from incorrectly managed projects (Zhang &

Zuo, 2016). Anticipating a risk before it happens is the most effective way to remove that

risk. However, this is not always possible. When a risk is found, a straightforward

solution is the best choice, or the leaders can remove the cause of the potential risk

entirely thus avoiding the risk. There is a flaw in some of the reasoning that leaders can

simply eliminate the cause of the risk to remove the risk altogether. By eliminating a

cause, another risk may be created inadvertently, and the leaders may not know about this

new risk until much later in the project.

Identifying the cause of risks and acting upon them fits within the framework of

the study. Zhang and Zuo (2016) observed several ways to mitigate risk including finding

the causes of risks or addressing the risks in a straightforward manner. Conrow and

Shishido (1997) observed the inconsistent performance in software projects which let

them studying why this was occurring. Zhang and Zuo (2016) performs a logical analysis

of why projects fail using the framework Conrow and Shishido (1997) posed.

Researchers make use of tools to best analyze and mitigate risk in their projects.

Ahamed (2012) created a risk and probability matrix to help leaders analyze the risks that

can occur during a project. Shrivastava and Rathod (2017) created a similar framework to

assist IT leaders in mitigating risks in projects by ensuring communication among all

stakeholders is positive and all gaps are addressed. The goal of creating this matrix and

framework was to develop solutions and contingency plans to mitigate the risks. While it

is not possible to determine all risks at the beginning of the project, the exercise is a

useful one. Project managers identify many risks thus allowing leaders to prepare plans.

Researchers and organizational leaders should use the tools available to them to

best address any project situation that may arise. Leaders have tools and research at their

disposal to analyze and mitigate risk (Ahamed, 2012; Shrivastava & Rathod, 2017). This

research follows research that reveals the necessity for risk mitigation before a risk exists.

Project managers preparing for potential or future risks are better prepared for risk

situations that may arise (Shishodia, Dixit, & Verma, 2018). By anticipating what may

happen, project managers can create an accurate project plan to save time, money, and

other resources. The next step in the process may be to create a scoring system that

suggests the next actions depending upon the risk the project contains.

To best research or complete a project, project managers must perform an analysis

on the type of methodology that best fits the project. Rasnacis and Berzisa (2017)

examined how to select a methodology using their decision tool and support. A similar

approach the researchers noted is the analytic hierarchy process by Saaty (2008). The

decision model and tool developed by Rasnacis and Berzisa (2017) have been used in

practical situations and assists leaders in making the correct decision based on available

information. Of importance is that the decision model should not replace an expert in the

field. Leaders must use the model and tool to assist in the decision-making process but

not as the sole determination method.

Many tools and decision models share similarities with other tools and decision

models. The tool and decision model created by Rasnacis and Berzisa (2017) is similar to

the analytic hierarchy process created by Saaty (2008). These two hierarchies and

processes work together to answer questions the other model cannot. The next step for

the decision model is to focus on the rules and characteristics of the model (Rasnacis &

Berzisa, 2017). When the decision model and tool are updated, the usefulness of both will

increase thus allowing more professionals the opportunity to use both.

Voluntary training in IT is an important aspect of professional growth. This

training adds to the success rate of projects (Mamonov & Koufaris, 2018) as long as the

training is conducted in a useful and logical manner. The importance of training and

education for project managers is emphasized by the research performed by Geithner and

Menzel (2016) when they studied the failure rate of projects compared to the amount of

training and education received. A correlation exists between failed projects and little to

no training and education in project management techniques. However, there is no

guarantee that training and education in project management techniques will

automatically cause success in projects. Other factors not addressed by Geithner and

Menzel (2016) such as time constraints and monetary resources should be taken into

consideration to provide a fuller view of how and why projects fail.

Project managers have numerous choices of how to increase their skills and

knowledge. However, there is little evidence that traditional project managers with

certifications are more capable in the project manager role than those who have no formal

training (Marzagão & Carvalho, 2016; Papke-Shields & Boyer-Wright, 2017). This

evidence shows the need for more progressing and updated training. Many project

managers learn by having a large quantity of information thrown at them with some of

that information sticking with them (Chen et al., 2019). Geithner and Menzel (2016)

build upon these ideas and data by addressing the updated training and education

concern.

Transition

In Section 1, I presented my topic and created the foundation of the study while

focusing on the background, business problem, research question, conceptual framework,

research method, and interview questions. Included is the significance of the study

showing the positive impact this research will have on both business and the topic of

project management. In the literature review, I explored the topics of project

management, project lifecycle, systems and software development lifecycle, and

technological communication tools and I discovered information on the application of

project management today.

In Section 2, I focused on the design of the study and the methodology of the

study. Section 2 also includes the use of qualitative research to analyze the key strategies

for IT projects. I described the method of ethical qualitative research, the data collection

and organization techniques, and the data collection instruments I used. Data analysis,

and reliability and validity of the findings are also included in Section 2. Finally, Section

2 includes discussion of the role of the researcher, participants, and population selected

for the study while also restating the purpose statement. I concluded Section 2 with a

transition and summary section.

In Section 3, I restated the purpose statement and the research question as well as

included the findings from my research. I then discussed the application for professional

practice that my research addresses. I included the implications for social change,

recommendations for action, and recommendations for further research based upon my

findings. To finish, I included a reflection section as well as a conclusion.

Section 2: The Project

IT project managers add value to organizations when successfully leading projects

to completion. However, project success rates remain low despite efforts to increase the

rate of success (Qin et al., 2017). In Section 2, I explain in detail (a) the role of the

researcher, (b) participants, (c) research methodology and design, (d) population and

sampling method, (e) ethical research, (f) data collection instruments, (g) data collection

techniques, (h) data organization techniques, and (i) reliability and validity.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies

project managers in the IT sector use for delivering successful IT projects. The targeted

population consisted of six IT project managers from three businesses in Northeast Ohio

who had developed and implemented strategies for delivering successful IT projects. The

implications for social change included the potential for business owners to learn how

strategies could be used to successfully complete IT projects, thereby allowing owners to

increase and conserve financial resources to create more jobs or pay higher wages to

current employees. New employees and employees who earn more may spend more

money within their communities, contributing to local economic growth.

Role of the Researcher

The researcher plays a vital role in conducting the study in qualitative research.

Hamersly (2015) noted that the researcher designs the study while also gaining approval

from the institutional review board prior to data collection. To best gather information

from participants, researchers must establish a trusting relationship with them (Sanabria,

2014) while simultaneously collecting, organizing, and analyzing the data (Hooper,

2013). The data collection process involves the researcher performing interviews,

observation, and analysis of archives and documents (Petrova, Dewing, & Camilleri,

2016; Yin, 2017). I followed the appropriate form and protocol while conducting each

interview to gather information in a relevant and consistent manner. To obtain the

relevant and consistent information I asked questions that required an in-depth

explanation, I recorded all interviews in audio form, I typed notes as the interview

occurred, and I prepared all data gathered to allow for a follow-up interview to clarify

answers or gain new information.

My career has been focused on IT project management and I have worked in

conjunction with other IT project managers as well as others involved in implementation

of the projects. Successful project implementation and the strategies used by project

managers are of unique importance because of the direct impact to business operations.

By maintaining the business and personal relationships with project managers, I selected

several previous colleagues for this study. To ensure I met ethical standards, I followed

the ethical guidelines and principles in The Belmont Report (National Commission for the

Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979).

The Belmont Report identified three ethical principles for the conduct of

interviews: (a) respect of persons, (b) beneficence, and (c) justice (National Commission

for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979). By

adhering to these three ethical principles, I treated each participant with respect and

integrity. Before beginning the questioning process, I ensured the interviewee understood

there is no compensation or incentives offered for their time and participation in the

study.

To reduce bias, I used bracketing and member checking. Researchers use

bracketing to reduce and mitigate bias in interviews (Chen & Han, 2016). All researchers

potentially affect information gathering during direct interaction with the interviewees by

injecting their personal bias whether it is intentional or unintentional (Kalu & Bwalya,

2017). Through note taking during interviews, bias was mitigated through bracketing. I

also used member checking as this increases the accuracy of the data collected by

following up with interviewees to ensure the correct information has been collected for

analysis (Wilson, Velera et al., 2016). After each interview, I asked the participant to

review the summary of findings and either make corrections to the summary, add more

information, or correct the incorrect information in the summary (see Wilson, Valera et

al., 2016).

I used an interview protocol and semistructured interviews to gather data from

participants through the use of open-ended questions created before the interviews. I

asked each participant the same questions as the other participants. The participants also

read through a standardized script at the beginning of the interview before the questions

and at the end of the interview after all questions had been answered (see Castillo-

Montoya, 2016). To minimize potential biases or personal influences by shifting to

another attitude, I used bracketing (Englander, 2016). By taking notes during the

interviews and during analysis, I minimized bias and personal influences. I created the

transcripts of the interviews and asked the participants to review the transcripts to ensure

all answers provided had been transcribed correctly (see Birt, Scott, Cavers, Campbell, &

Walter, 2016).

Participants

The selected participants for the study possessed a predetermined amount of

experience and could answer the interview questions posed. The experience requirement

for the participants was a minimum of 5 years of managing IT projects. Eligible study

participants were individuals who could answer the interview questions knowledgeably

and logically (Khodyakov et al., 2017). Participants are typically chosen for qualitative

research because of the knowledge those participants possess about a specific topic and

the goals to be achieved by the qualitative researcher (Yin, 2017). I selected six

participants who (a) were current IT project managers in the Northeast Ohio area, (b)

were knowledgeable about the topic of the study, and (c) met the eligibility requirements.

To gain access to these six participants, I used professional relationships for some

project managers and referrals from other project managers to interview those with whom

I did not have a professional relationship. I created a pool of more than six potential

participants so if one or more of the original participants was unable to interview, I could

maintain my plan of six participants. Purposive sampling or selecting the best candidates

for the research first that are the most knowledgeable (Merriam, 2014), is the sampling

method that I used for the pool of candidates.

To build a working relationship with each participant, I gained an understanding

of their project management experience and their overall work experience. By using face-

to-face meetings, phone calls, and e-mails, I developed a professional relationship with

each participant before completing the interviews to ensure I had the correct participants.

I also communicated via writing and verbal communication the reason for the research as

well as the boundaries for those interviewed. Disclosing relevant information is how

qualitative researchers gain trust with each participant (Evans, 2018).

After gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct my study, I

called and sent e-mails to each candidate to discuss participation in the study, including

the purpose of the study, how the study and results would be kept private, and how both

the community and business leaders can potentially benefit from the results of the study.

An informed consent form was included in the e-mail, and I asked the participants to sign

this form and return it to me if they wish to participate in the study or decline and return

the form to me if they did not wish to participate in the study. After gaining participant

acceptance and approval to participate in the study, I contacted each willing participant

by phone to discuss an interview date and time that best suited their schedule.

Building a trusting relationship by discussing with participants all information

important to the study is essential for qualitative researchers (Evans, 2018). I discussed

with each participant the objectives and goals of the study, the interview protocol, and

how each participant received a unique code to protect confidentiality. I asked questions

the participants had to offer clarity on all parts of the study. After discussing with the

participants what would happen during the interview, I asked them to complete an

informed consent form to ensure I conformed to expected and published ethical

standards. There is an expectation of qualitative researchers to develop a level of trust

with the participants of the study and the use of consent forms demonstrates that level of

trust (Evans, 2018; Kokolakis, 2017).

Research Method and Design

I used a qualitative research methodology and a multiple case study design for the

study. Researchers use qualitative methodology to gather data in a flexible manner while

developing a rich understanding of the specific research topic (Caputo, Veltri, &

Venturelli, 2017). Researchers use case study design to gather data from participants who

experience the phenomenon directly (Fletcher, de Massis, & Nordqvist, 2016).

Research Method

I used a qualitative research methodology for the study. By using qualitative

research methodology, the researcher implements a process to acquire knowledge about a

subject (Mohajan, 2018). Qualitative researchers identify themes and patterns to gain a

greater understanding of the phenomena they are studying (Petrova et al., 2016). The

complexity of the technical phenomena in the IT field is a good fit for a qualitative

research methodology but not for quantitative research (Chughtai & Myers, 2017). The

use of qualitative research does not place limits on researchers by assuming a specific

outcome and allows the researcher to gain insight into the phenomena (Caputo et al.,

2017). Using qualitative methodology enabled me to explore participants’ insights and

ideas regarding strategies they have used and to develop themes and patterns to explore.

The qualitative approach was a more complete and appropriate method to use for my

study than a quantitative methodology or a mixed methods.

Qualitative research is exploratory while quantitative methodology involves

statistical research and procedures. Quantitative researchers examine a hypothesis by

using measurements to (a) test theory, (b) evaluate statistical significance, and (c)

establish relationships (Paskaleva et al., 2017). Quantitative researchers use statistical

procedures and models to conduct tests on relationships through the use of numerical data

and variables (Park & Park, 2016). The purpose of this study was to research and explore

the strategies of the participants by using open-ended interview questions and so a

quantitative methodology was not appropriate.

The mixed methods approach is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative

research. Researchers use mixed methods when neither the qualitative nor the

quantitative methodology are sufficient to explain a phenomenon independently

(McDonald et al., 2019). The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies project

managers use to successfully implement projects. The use of statistical analysis and

hypothesis testing was not appropriate, so I did not select the mixed methods approach

for the study.

Research Design

I used a multiple case study research design to conduct this study. A multiple case

study design is used to research a holistic and real-world perspective of the phenomenon

(Yin, 2017). In qualitative research, a case study does not have clear boundaries between

the phenomenon and the environment thus researchers can more freely explore and

investigate the phenomenon (Ji et al., 2019; Yin, 2017). By using a case study design,

researchers gain a greater understanding of a phenomena allowing them to create further

research opportunities (Runfola, Perna, Baraldi, & Gregori, 2017). A researcher can use a

multiple case study to investigate research questions that require an in-depth

understanding through the use of interviews and research (Hitch, 2016). The case study

research design was most appropriate for my research and enabled me to answer my

research question and gain a greater understanding of the strategies project managers use

to successfully implement IT projects. Also considered was the use of either an

ethnographic or phenomenological research design for this study.

An ethnographic research design was not appropriate for this study. Researchers

using an ethnographic research design are heavily involved in fieldwork studying the

cultures of people during their normal day-to-day lives (Caffaro et al., 2018; Caliandro,

2018; Moustakas, 1994). Researchers gain an understanding of the culture of a group of

people by connecting the patterns in experiences and behavior in an ethnographic

research design (Birken et al., 2015). Because I was not exploring or investigating the

behavioral patterns of a culture or group of people, an ethnographic research design was

not appropriate for this study.

A phenomenological research design was also not appropriate for this study.

Researchers use phenomenological research designs to investigate the lived experiences

of people or a group of people for a phenomenon (Finlay, Peacock, & Elander, 2018).

Researchers explore a phenomenon experienced by an individual or a group of people

(Conklin, 2014). Starting by researching a phenomenon, researchers then analyze how or

why an event occurred and conclude with reviewing the individuals who have

experienced the phenomenon (Sanders, 1982). Because I was not exploring the lived

experiences of a phenomenon, a phenomenological research design was not appropriate.

To ensure complete and quality data collection results, I checked data saturation

while performing the research and collecting data. A high degree of data saturation, or

when little to no new information is discovered, is how qualitative researchers best ensure

the high quality of data collected (Hyett, Kenny, & Dickson-Swift, 2014). Researchers

also use data saturation as a rule for achieving the correct sample size in a qualitative

research design (Boddy, 2016). In addition to selecting the appropriate sample size, I

used member checking, I scheduled follow-up interviews, and I used data triangulation to

further reach data saturation with my research. By using member checking and follow-up

interviews, data saturation was achieved because the participants had an opportunity to

provide feedback or validation on research questions (Marshall & Rossman, 2016). By

using data triangulation, researchers provide another method to achieve data saturation by

using more than one source or method to collect data on the same topic (Fusch & Ness,

2015). Using the determination of the correct sample size, member checking, follow-up

interviews, and data triangulation, data saturation in the research was ensured.

Population and Sampling

The target population for the study included IT project managers who had

managed or were currently managing IT projects in the Northeast Ohio area. The target

population consisted of six IT project managers who had managed or were currently

managing IT projects in the Northeast Ohio area. Study participants were (a)

knowledgeable in the area of research, (b) capable of answering the research questions

posed, and (c) familiar with the particular phenomenon researched (Leedy & Ormrod,

2013; Merriam, 2014; Yin, 2017). The target population consisted of IT project managers

with a minimum of one year of experience managing IT projects and had completed at

least one IT project on time and on budget. Based on these requirements, the target

population for the study was knowledgeable in the subject area, capable of answering the

research questions, and were familiar with the phenomenon I was studying.

I used subjective sampling to select the appropriate participants and to gain access

to the participants. Subjective sampling, also known as purposive sampling, is used by

qualitative researchers to generalize information (Saunders et al., 2015). Qualitative

researchers select participants based on their knowledge of the research topic (Merriam,

2014). Voluntary participants from IT managers who have successfully managed projects

and have proven success in the IT field will be selected. Because one of the requirements

for selecting participants is success with IT project management, I used subjective

sampling to ensure the participants had relevant experience to the research topic

(Mittelstadt, Allo, Taddeo, Wachter, & Floridi, 2016).

Typical sample sizes for qualitative studies are between five and 50 samples

whereas quantitative studies require more samples depending upon the details and goals

of the study (Boddy, 2016). The sample size of qualitative research is determined by data

saturation (Boddy, 2016) while also being impacted by the unique requirements and

constraints of the topic (Varpio. Ajjawi, Monrouxe, O’Brien, & Rees, 2017). To

determine when data saturation occurs, gathering data will continue until no new themes

or patterns revealed during the information gathering process (Murgatroyd, Lockwood,

Garth, & Cameron, 2015; Nelson, 2017). Through the use of member checking, follow-

up interviews, and triangulation of collected data I worked toward data saturation. I

achieved data saturation through member checking and follow-up interviews and

collected additional data from the interviewees and used these methods to discover more

information than was initially shared by participants (Marshall & Rossman, 2016).

Another method to confirm data saturation to be used is data triangulation through cross

verification (Fusch & Ness, 2015).

Ethical Research

I obtained permission from the participants before collecting information from

them. Obtaining approval from the institutional review board was sought and achieved

and an e-mail to all prospective participants with the informed consent form was sent. In

the informed consent form, guidelines for participation in the study and the process were

included to ensure their confidentiality. The guidelines included information on (a)

details of the study, (b) procedures for conducting the study, (c) steps for removal from

the study, (d) benefits that may exist from the findings, and (e) my contact information

including my e-mail address and my telephone number. A requirement that all

researchers must adhere to is providing oversight procedures of the study and how

identities are protected for the participation in the study (Wilson et al., 2018). All

prospective participants were required to reply to the e-mail sent them with the words “I

consent to this study.” If there was no response or the prospective participants responded

that they were not interested, I removed them from consideration from the study. I

offered the opportunity to withdraw from the study if the participant initially chose to

participate in the study but changed their mind at any point during the study. For this

study, the Walden IRB approval number was 12-24-19-0676441.

All participants had the opportunity to withdraw from the study at any time for

any reason. Per Holmes, Blackwell, Heyes, Renner, & Raes (2016), I informed all

participants of their opportunity to withdraw and how the withdrawal process occurs. The

participants were required to inform me of their decision to withdraw and their

participation was removed from the study. Because there was no compensation or

benefits received for participant in the study, the participants who requested withdrawal

did not incur a penalty. If a participant chose to withdrawal from the study at any time, I

removed the data collected from that participant from the study.

All data collected remained confidential for the duration of the study as well as

after the study has concluded. The confidentiality of participants is of the utmost

importance when qualitative researchers conduct a study using the concepts of

confidentiality (Lancaster, Seear, Treloar, & Ritter, 2017). To guarantee confidentiality,

each participant was assigned a randomly-generated number. All data collected is

securely stored for five years to protect the confidentiality of the participants for the five-

year span.

Data Collection Instruments

I was the primary data collection instrument for the study. The researcher acts as

the primary instrument for qualitative studies and is active in collecting data from

interviews and other sources of information (Bengtsson, 2016; Lazard & McAvoy, 2020;

Vidgen, Shaw, & Grant, 2017). semistructured interviews were used to collect the data

necessary for this study. To obtain this data through the use of semistructured interviews,

I asked six semistructured questions along with probing questions based on the responses

of the participants during the interview (Appendix). Researchers gain a comprehensive

data collection for their research through the use of semistructured interview questions

(King et al., 2019).

I used several methods to contact the participants including in-person interviews,

e-mail, or telephone calls. IT project managers were contacted that I know personally as

well as those referred to me by professional colleagues. The interview process included

communication with each participant to ensure all questions from the participant were

answered and availability for the interview was confirmed, the interview was scheduled,

and the consent form was given to the participant. The interview was conducted in a

setting the participants chose and was comfortable with. I informed the participant that

this location must be outside their place of employment to allow for more interaction and

less distractions that might occur in their place of work (Oltmann, 2016).

I followed the interview protocol as provided in the Appendix. The credibility of

research is improved with the use of an interview protocol (Yin, 2017). The first step of

the process before interviews begin was to ensure each participant received and

understood the informed consent form. If the participant had any questions about the

informed consent form, I answered any questions at that time. Face-to-face interviews

were used as the primary method of data collection for the study. I scheduled each

interview for one hour to allow for sufficient time to appropriately include all steps in the

interview and data gathering process. For all semistructured interviews, I listed the

interview questions listed in the Appendix. These interview questions are directly related

to the research question concerning the strategies that IT project managers use to deliver

successful IT projects. Follow-up questions during a semistructured interview is

important to a researcher because this can lead to additional information that is more in-

depth and detailed (Roulston & Shelton, 2015).

I used an audio recorder, a journal, and a pen to ensure accurately collected data

during the interviews. I used a journal to supplement the audio recordings to note body

language of each participant. Immediately following each interview, I recorded my

thoughts on the participant and interview in the journal to mitigate potential personal

biases and issues. Bracketing is an effective way for researchers to manage potential

biases and issues and this is accomplished by using a journal and writing notes in the

journal during interviews and other data gathering sessions (Chen & Han, 2016). By

using a journal and pen in addition to an audio recorder, the recordings were as accurate

as possible.

I asked each participant to provide any documentation used by their organization

in the management of IT projects. These documents were valuable to my research of how

IT projects are successfully delivered. The information contained within these documents

were used to analyze if such documentation was useful or necessary with regards to the

overarching research question. The credibility of all findings is enhanced when the

researcher includes multiple sources of evidence to the reader (Yin, 2017) thus enhancing

the credibility of my research. I also used member checking to increase the reliability and

validity of all data collection instruments. After all documents had been gathered, I

compared my analysis of the documents to the interviews to add context to each

interview.

I used member checking with all participants to increase the accuracy of data,

decrease incorrect data, and to increase the reliability and validity of the study. Each

participant received the data and my interpretation of the data and this is referred to as

member checking (Birt et al., 2016). After gathering all data from each participant, the

findings were reviewed. To increase the reliability and validity of the findings of a study,

researchers use member checking after gathering data (Jensen, Agersted, Nielsen, 2020).

Through the application and use of member checking, reliability and validity was

increased to ensure there was as little error as possible.

Data Collection Technique

I used one primary data source and two secondary data sources. The primary data

source was the use of semistructured interviews. The secondary data sources were field

journal notes and organizational documents. For the semistructured interviews, I used

face-to-face interviewing and telephone calls as the primary methods to collect data. To

collect information for their research, qualitative researchers use interviews, document

analysis, and direct observations (Arseven, 2014; Norlyk, Haahr, & Hall, 2016). I used

semistructured interviews to gain an in-depth and intimate knowledge directly

corresponding to my research.

I obtained IRB approval before any contact with participants occurred to ensure I

adhered to all regulations. I used the interview protocol in the Appendix to conduct the

semistructured interviews. The interview protocol is an important component of research

because it helps to build a foundation of the format of an interview and directs how an

interview operates (Yin, 2017). After IRB approval was obtained, I contacted each

potential participant by e-mail or telephone. After initial contact had occurred, an e-mail

to each participant containing the informed consent form was sent to instruct each

participant to respond with I consent in an e-mail reply to me to participate in the study.

Upon reception of the consent forms from participants who desired to participate, all

consent forms were gathered and securely stored. All participants consenting to the study

were contacted to schedule a date, time, and location for the interview and also

tentatively schedule a secondary date, time, and location if the original date, time, and

location if the interview did not occur. I allowed the participants to choose the date, time,

and location of the interview to ensure the participants were as comfortable as possible

but requested that the location was not their current place of employment. By allowing

the participant to choose the date, time, and location of the interview, researchers

empower the participant to help build a level of trust and comfort that may not already

exist (Dempsey, Dowling, Larkin, & Murphy, 2016; Novakovich, Miah, & Shaw, 2017).

To ensure open communication with all participants, I confirmed the interview

appointment one week before the chosen date and then confirmed the interview

appointment one day before the chosen date. The time and location were confirmed to

ensure the participant and I were fully aware of the scheduled interview.

I conducted each interview using the following standardized process:

1. Introduce myself to the participant to develop a rapport and connect,

2. Explain the topic of the research and the reason for the interview with the

participant,

3. Retrieve the informed consent form for the participant and explain the form in

detail,

4. Explain to the participant how their confidentiality will be kept,

5. Ask the participant for permission to record the interview,

6. Explain to the participant that they have the ability to stop the interview at any

point during the interview with no consequences,

7. Explain to the participant the importance of answering each question as

truthfully and fully as possible to the best of their ability,

8. Conduct the interview after the entire process has been explained, and

9. Thank the participant for their participation in the study and the time they

spent assisting me in my data gathering.

At the completion of each interview, all details deemed important were recorded

in the journal. Details that were recorded for each participant included the name of the

participant, date of the interview, time of the interview, location of the interview, and any

observations made during the interview. The use of a journal to record general responses

and thoughts on the interview improves the trustworthiness of the study (Corsaro, 2019).

To minimize potential biases, qualitative researchers create written notes during

interviews in a journal (Chen & Han, 2016). Through the use of a journal, confirmability

of the data collected during the interviews was enhanced in addition to the secondary data

gathered from all organizational documents provided by the participants. Additional

experiences may be found to explore during a later study by using a journal to record

notes (Kogan & Schoenfeld-Tacher, 2018).

I used semistructured interviews because there are numerous advantages to do so

in the type of data gathering planned. My research topic was most easily studied through

the use of semistructured interviews. Using semistructured interviews, researchers design

the interview questions to address the specific topic (Yin, 2017). My intention was to

specifically hone in on answering my research question through the use of semistructured

interviews. Additionally, the use of semistructured interviews allows participants the

ability to offer their own views and opinions to the study adding depth and context to the

research (Wehner, Ritter, & Leist, 2017). During the interview process, participants were

allowed to offer additional ideas and opinions outside of what they consider to be facts to

gather information outside the specific interview questions. The collection of this

additional data through semistructured interviews provides researchers with new

information that can be gathered and analyzed to explore different ideas (Karadzhov,

Yuan, & Bond, 2019). However, it is important to focus on the information most relevant

to the study while recording any additional information for future use. Qualitative

researchers must be aware that while there are numerous advantages of using

semistructured interviews, there are also disadvantages.

There are several disadvantages of using semistructured interviews that

researchers must understand. Those disadvantages include a (a) mistake in the analysis of

the data collected, (b) incorrect recall of information by participants, (c) a

misrepresentation of information from the participant due to a desire to satisfy the

interviewer, or (d) the possible selective representation of data and misleading the

researcher (Oltmann, 2016; Wilson, Onwuegbuzie, & Manning, 2016). Researchers

benefit from paying strict attention to the interview to control the direction of the

conversation as needed and to ensure the participant does not digress (Yin, 2017). By

paying attention to the interview and to the participant, the researcher builds trust with

the participant and maximizes comfort of the participant and the reliability and validity of

the information collected during the interview (Oltmann, 2016; Yin, 2017).

The advantages of a researcher using a journal during semistructured interviews

include assisting researchers in gathering a greater depth of data than would otherwise

occur (Kogan & Schoenfeld-Tacher, 2018) and improving the understanding of both

nonverbal and verbal cues of the participants (Gray & Jones, 2016). The researcher

benefits from adding written notes to the audio recording because the audio recording

does not capture nonverbal communication and cues. If the researcher does not properly

interpret nonverbal communication and cues, it is possible that the researcher will

incorrectly record a written note and this is a disadvantage of the use of a journal during

and after a semistructured interview (Saunders & Townsend, 2016).

Organizational documents were collected as provided by the participants after

receiving their written confirmation of participation in the study. I asked each participant

to provide documentation through e-mail or printed forms they were able to provide from

their organization that is of use in IT project management. Primary data collected was

supported through the analysis of secondary data such as documentation and effectively

supports research (Arseven, 2014; Norlyk et al., 2016; Yin, 2017). I used these

organizational documents to support all primary data collected by checking consistency

and added context and depth to the data gathered. The information found within the

secondary data sources contained additional ideas and concepts that were not uncovered

during the interviews.

Gathering the organizational documents from the participants has both advantages

and disadvantages. By using document review of documentation directly from an

organization with a record of successful project implementation, the researcher increases

reliability and validity of the data gathered (Gresham & Burleigh, 2019; Yin, 2017).

Document review can be used to corroborate evidence reliably (Evans, 2018).

Researchers must be vigilant in obtaining documents that are accurate and complete. A

disadvantage of using document review is that it is possible the documents gathered from

the participants are outdated, incomplete, inaccurate, or biased in one form or another

(Yin, 2017). The researcher should always check all documentation received to ensure

the information on the documents is as accurate as possible. To help improve the

accuracy of the data gathered, member checking was used with the participants.

Member checking was used to increase the quality, reliability, and validity of the

collected data from the semistructured interviews. By providing the participants with a

summary of the interpretations to their responses after the semistructured interviews, a

researcher uses the member checking process by allowing the participants to verify the

accuracy of the summary and information gathered during the interviews (Wilson,

Onwuegbuzie & Manning, 2016). After all interviews were completed and the data was

analyzed, all participants were provided with a report of the findings of the interviews

and my interpretation of their responses. Each participant received only their responses

and my interpretation of their responses and did not receive my interpretation of any

other participant’s responses. I then discussed with each participant whether my summary

of their responses was accurate or if I needed to take corrective action. I also asked for

each participant to add any other information they felt was useful for the study. By using

member checking, qualitative researchers enhance the reliability and validity of collected

data during interviews and other data gathering sessions (Birt et al., 2016; Yin, 2017).

Data Organization Technique

Both a hard copy filing system and an electronic filing system was created to store

all data gathered and both of these systems are secure. I created both of these systems

prior to the collection and analysis of data as this is an important task before the data

collection and data analysis tasks (Duffy et al., 2017). Per Castleberry (2014) and Ose

(2016) the use of NVivo 12 is an effective software application to store data gathered

from research securely as well as performing the management and analysis functions of

data. NVivo 12 was used to manage and analyze data and Microsoft Word was used as

the tool to transcribe the interviews. Microsoft Excel was used as needed for other data

requirements that required a spreadsheet format. All data gathered was organized into

categories using both the hard copy and electronic format for easy retrieval. The hard

copies of data was stored in an electronically locked safe to which only I have the

security code while the electronic data is stored in an online database that requires two-

factor authentication to access to ensure only I have access to the data as needed. The

confidentiality of all participants is of the utmost importance and restricting access to the

data ensures proper care is taken to maintain that confidentiality (Evans, 2018). I

transferred all hard copy documentation to the secure database to maintain both a primary

and backup of all data gathered.

I gathered, organized, and securely stored all data collected during interviews in

both electronic and hard copy format. Immediately following each interview, I

transcribed the recording. By transcribing the recording immediately following the

interview, researchers are less likely to make an error in the transcription and

interpretation of the data gathered (Yin, 2017). After transcribing the interviews, the data

was transferred to NVivo 12 for analysis at a later point in time. NVivo is an appropriate

and effective software application to manage data organization and assist in analysis

(Ose, 2016). I organized and placed all data gathered into the categories defined before

the data gathering process and interviews. By creating categories and using those

categories, qualitative researchers more easily summarize the data gathered by creating

more manageable data units (Bevort & Suddaby, 2016). Because the summary and

analysis of data is more easily completed by focusing on specific categories, I did not

attempt to summarize and analyze all the data at one time. The identity of all participants

and the organizations was replaced with pseudonyms to ensure confidentiality and

privacy during the data organization process.

A field journal was used to supplement the interview data and documentation

provided by participants. Qualitative researchers use a field journal to gain a deeper

understanding of qualitative data and to explore additional research opportunities at a

later time (Kogan & Schoenfeld-Tacher, 2018). Qualitative researchers may also discover

additional themes that were not discovered initially through the use of a field journal

(Shek, Wu, & Chai, 2017). By using a field journal, qualitative researchers may capture

nonverbal communication and responses from the participant, and this may assist the

researcher in understand the interview data in a deeper manner (Wilson, Onwuegbuzie &

Manning, 2016). I included my field journal notes in the organization of data task to

ensure correct categorization, summarization, and analysis.

After I collected the research information, I updated the data organization and

analysis techniques to ensure the most effective methods were used. Research results may

be enhanced by updating and changing their data organization and analysis techniques

throughout the research process (Vernon-Dotson, 2013). During the data collection and

organization, additional categories and themes were uncovered that had no definition

prior to the data collection process. Marshall and Rossman (2016) noted that qualitative

researchers enhance their data analysis by creating groups and categories with which data

can be organized into. By reviewing all data gathered, qualitative researchers may create

a high quality and accurate study (Yin, 2017). Because of the need for confidentiality and

a need to maintain a copy of all data gathered, all data is stored securely for a period of

five years.

The confidentiality and privacy of all participants is protected for a period of five

years by restricting access to all research data including names and the organizations with

which each person is associated with. All researchers that take action to restrict data

gathered ensure the data is securely stored (Evans, 2018; Thorpe et al., 2018; Wilson et

al., 2018). All hard copy data is stored in an electronically locked safe to which only I

have the security code. Electronic data is stored in an online database requiring two factor

authentication to access. After five years, I will destroy all confidential documentation

and other materials related to the research study. This documentation and other materials

include transcripts of interviews and other correspondence, recordings of interviews,

organizational documentation provided by the participant, informed consent forms, and a

field journal containing notes and other materials.

Data Analysis

I analyzed and interpreted data from the collected information to attempt to

generate themes and ideas. Researchers perform data analysis to discover themes that

pertain to the research question of the study (Thomas, 2015). For qualitative researchers,

data analysis provides information to apply and to discover additional relevant

information. (Kalu & Bwalya, 2017). Per Paulus, Woods, Atkins, & Macklin, (2017),

data analysis includes coding the data gathered and identifying themes from the data. I

used data analysis to identify themes, ideas, and patterns related to the research question

to get the best results from the gathered data. As an additional method to increase

confidence in my findings, triangulation was used for more reliable information.

Qualitative researchers use triangulation to increase the confidence of the research

findings. When qualitative researchers use triangulation for their research findings, they

are using three or more sources of data for the research (Overgaard, 2015). By using

triangulation, qualitative researchers increase the credibility and trustworthiness of a

qualitative study by combining data, connecting sources, and drawing conclusions (Busis

et al., 2017; Erlingsson & Brysiewicz, 2017). By increasing the confidence in the results

of a study, a qualitative researcher increases their credibility and the accuracy of the

results. There are several types of triangulation that qualitative researchers can use for

qualitative studies.

Qualitative researchers may use four types of triangulation for their research.

These four types of triangulation are (a) data triangulation, (b) investigator triangulation,

Brysiewicz, 2017; Walters, 2016). I used methodological triangulation for this study by

using notes from my field journal, interviews with participants, and organizational

documentation provided by the participants. Through the use of methodological

triangulation, qualitative researchers provide a full view of the research performed and

rely on more than one source for information (Overgaard, 2015). The most common

method of triangulation for a case study design is the methodological triangulation

method (Kalu & Bwalya, 2017).

The five-step process described by Yin (2017) was used to analyze information as

it relates to strategies used by organizational leadership and IT project managers to

manage their IT projects. The five steps are (a) compiling, (b) disassembling, (c)

reassembling, (d) interpreting, and (e) concluding (Yin, 2017). To ensure a high-quality

analysis, Yin (2017) suggests that qualitative researchers take all information gathered

and disassembling the data to regroup it prior to analyzing. This breakdown of the data

and reassembling makes the process of analysis simpler as the data will then be grouped

in a logical manner.

Compiling

For the compiling tasks, I gathered data from interviews of participants,

organizational documentation provided by participants, and from journal notes. I used

NVivo 12, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel to collect and organize data. After

conducting the interviews, I read through the transcribed interviews, reviewed the

organizational documentation, and reviewed my journal notes to gain a greater

understanding of the information gathered. Qualitative researchers can identify concepts,

phases, and themes by examining data gathered several times thus revealing additional

information that may not be identified immediately (Karadzhov et al., 2019; Leedy &

Ormrod, 2013; Vernon-Dotson, 2013). I disassembled the data immediately after

compiling the data.

Disassembling

After compiling the data, disassembling the data began to identify concepts,

themes, and phases. During the disassembling task, coding started by tagging the data

into categories identified in the literature review. To identify themes or patterns correctly,

a code is used to represent the data collected (DeVaney, Spangler, Lee, & Delgadillo,

2018). After coding process occurs the categories or themes are then grouped (Eker &

Zimmermann, 2016). I identified themes and patterns in the data by listening to the audio

while transcribing the interviews. I also reviewed all organizational documentation

provided by participants and reviewed the field journal notes to identify additional

themes and patterns. Additional codes were added as they were identified during the

analysis as qualitative researchers should do so to continue analyzing additional themes

and patterns identified (Bengtsson, 2016). Immediately following the disassembling task,

data reassembling into logical groups began.

Reassembling

Reassembling the data into groups of common themes and groups began after

disassembling the data. I used NVivo 12 to organize and identify themes and groups as

this software is an appropriate and effective application for the organization of data and

the management tasks of the data (Ose, 2016). Researchers may discover themes and

groupings that may not have otherwise been discovered by using NVivo (Cai, Huang,

Liu, & Liang, 2016). The features of the NVivo 12 application such as the auto-coding

feature to identify and organize themes and groups was used. After reassembling the data

into themes and groups, interpretation of the meaning of the data collected occurred.

Interpreting

I interpreted the data after reassembling the data into logical themes and groups.

By identifying and interpreting themes and groups, I connected these themes and groups

with the research question of the study. By interpreting data that has been reassembled,

qualitative researchers may increase knowledge about the research question and may

open additional areas of study (Thomas, 2015; Yin, 2017). The themes and groups I

discovered through interpretation connected directly to the research question of the study

to increase the knowledge base of how IT project managers successfully implement IT

projects. After I interpreted the data, the data analysis portion of the study was

completed.

Concluding

The concluding step of this data analysis was to finalize the conclusions from the

study. Participants received a copy of my interpretation of the data gathered to allow

them to add information or thoughts to my interpretations. I enhanced the reliability and

validity of my interpretations by requesting feedback from the participants. By requesting

the perspective of participants on interpretations, qualitative researchers enhance the

accuracy and credibility of their interpretations (Birt et al., 2016). To enhance the

integrity of the data analysis and complete study, qualitative researchers will include

direct quotes from the participants (Karadzhov et al., 2019). Qualitative researchers must

ensure there are no personal biases and that findings should be based entirely upon the

data collected to increase the reliability and validity of the study (Noble & Smith, 2015).

I ensured that only the data gathered influenced my interpretations with no personal ideas

or biases affecting the interpretations. By doing so the reliability and validity of my study

was increased.

I used the NVivo 12 software to assist in coding and identifying patterns and

themes. The NVivo 12 application is an effective application or organize, manage, and

analyze data (Ose, 2016). Through the use of auto-coding in the data analysis phase,

researchers can use NVivo 12 to discover themes and patterns (Cai et al., 2016).

Following the pattern and theme recognition of the data analysis, the data was

investigated and correlated to the data to the literature review.

I focused on themes and patterns uncovered during the data analysis phase to

connect the themes and patterns from this phase to the themes and patterns discovered in

the literature review. I also focused on the themes and patterns uncovered during the data

analysis phase and correlate those themes and patterns to the conceptual framework

chosen for this study. I chose the coordination theory as the conceptual framework for

this study. Qualitative researchers may add depth of information by connecting

uncovered themes and patterns to the conceptual framework to assist in answering the

overarching research question (Karabulut-Ilgu, Cherrez, & Jahren, 2017; Yin, 2017).

Additionally, qualitative researchers may improve the integrity of the study by using

direct quotes from participants in the study during the data analysis phase (Karadzhov et

al., 2019). After completing the data analysis and the concluding phase, a greater

understanding of how IT managers successfully manage IT projects and implement

processes to positively impact those projects was gained.

Reliability and Validity

By developing the reliability and validity of a study, researchers increase the

quality of the themes and patterns in the study. Other researchers following the steps of

the original researcher will benefit from the reliability of the original research while

consistently concluding studies with similar results (Sanders et al., 2016). The accuracy

of the representation of a phenomenon is referred to as the validity of a study (Chen &

Han, 2016). Qualitative researchers must ensure a proper level of rigor in their study to

develop an appropriate amount of reliability and validity. Researchers must develop an

appropriate amount of rigor to accurately portray the findings of the study, increase the

confidence of the study, and provide appropriate details to replicate a study (Caffaro et

al., 2018). I included dependability, credibility, transferability, and confirmability to

increase the level of reliability and validity. These four qualities are positively associated

with rigor and increase the trustworthiness of the study (Hays, Wood, Dahl, & Kirk-

Jenkins, 2016).

Reliability

A key aspect of qualitative research is quality. Qualitative research must contain a

level of quality that must be present at every stage of the research process (Ali & Yusof,

2011). Qualitative researchers reach a saturation point where no new information is

uncovered creating a consistency of findings thus increasing the level of reliability

(Cadez, Czerny, & Letmathe, 2019; Varpio et al., 2017). Dependability, credibility,

transferability, and confirmability exist when trust is present in the findings of study

(Cadez et al., 2019; Golafshani, 2003).

Qualitative researchers focus on a high degree of reliability by increasing the level

of trustworthiness and dependability for their research. To increase the level of

dependability, researchers must ensure the study is repeatable and is able to be replicated

(Cadez et al., 2019; Lorenz et al., 2018). Several strategies exist to enhance the level of

trustworthiness such as triangulation, audit trails, and systematic data collection

procedures (Lorenz et al., 2018). To establish and enhance dependability for my study I

used systematic data collection and audit trails.

I enhanced the level of dependability in my study by conducting semistructured

interviews and using the interview protocol detailed in the Appendix. I used open-ended

questions along with a script that details instructions at the beginning of the interview and

summarizes information at the end of the interview. These semistructured interviews are

important because the structure of the questions allow the participant to add all detail they

possess (Jacob & Furgerson, 2012). To ensure consistency across all interviews,

researchers ask the same open-ended questions of all participants (Kallio et al., 2016). I

focused on asking each participant the same set of questions in the same order and the

same tone to ensure I received responses consistently from each participant.

I used a field journal during the interviews to write any notes on body language or

nonverbal cues. The field journal is effective to record additional information while also

writing about any ideas or problems that arise during data collection (Caffaro et al., 2018;

Doherty, 2011). The field journal serves as an additional data point that is useful when

creating an audit trail (Cadez et al., 2019). Researchers use these strategies to increase the

level of reliability in their study by enhancing consistency and descriptions of the

research process for their study.

Validity

Qualitative researchers conduct studies that include credibility, transferability, and

confirmability (Cadez et al., 2019). Qualitative researchers strive to increase the validity

of their study by demonstrating how the results of a study correlates with the phenomena

observed by the researcher (Cadez et al., 2019; Caffaro et al., 2018). A high level of

validity enhances the overall perception of a study by other researchers.

Credibility. To ensure a high degree of credibility, the researcher must carefully

select the participants of their study. The degree to which the perspective of a participant

is believable is how credible the perspective is to the researcher (Cadez et al., 2019;

Stieglitz et al., 2018). I used processes such as transcript review, member checking, and

triangulation to ensure all data was correct and each participant was comfortable with my

research and interpretations. By using such processes, I enhanced the level of credibility

for my findings. Each participant received the interview transcript created after each

interview and they received it via e-mail. A review time of seven days was set for the

participants to request changes or edits to the transcripts. After seven days had passed, I

considered the review and edit phase closed. If the participants had any changes or edits,

I analyzed the suggestions and updated my research as necessary. It was possible the

participant required a follow-up interview and I scheduled that follow-up interview

within seven days of the review and edit phase. Follow-up interviews may clarify any

questions after the initial interviews and the follow-up interviews may ensure an

enhanced amount of validity (Navimipour & Charband, 2016). The member checking

process is the process by which participants verify the accuracy of their answers and this

ensures a higher level of validity and also ensures that fewer errors or inaccuracies exist

in the transcripts and interpretations (Birt et al., 2016).

I used triangulation to enhance the level of validity for my study. Yin (2017) and

Cadez et al., (2019) remark that triangulation improves the validity of case studies by

crosschecking data collected from several sources. By crosschecking data from several

sources, I ensured a high level of consistency. The organizational documentation

provided by the participants was crosschecked with the interviews to increase the overall

credibility of the study.

Transferability. To enhance the validity of the study, I established transferability

of findings. If a study has a high degree of transferability, researchers can use the

findings of one study in another study that is similar to the initial study (Busis et al.,

2017; Cox et al., 2016; Petrova et al., 2016). I focused on creating rich descriptions of

data during the data analysis phase to ensure all data collected and interpretations were

easily transferable. Stieglitz et al., (2018) remarks that creating thick and rich

descriptions is necessary for easily transferable findings. Additionally, descriptions of

each participant were created to ensure the participants fit well within the bounds of what

is considered an appropriate participant. I identified and communicated with IT project

managers with at least one year of IT project management experience.

Confirmability. The third element of validity is confirmability. Confirmability is

the extent to which other researchers are capable of verifying and substantiating the

findings of a study (Stieglitz et al., 2018). Confirmability is achieved when qualitative

researchers complete the study and the results of the study reflect the responses of the

participants (Chen & Han, 2016). Additionally, researchers may achieve confirmability

by creating an audit trail displaying the decision-making during the study and why

judgments were made (Petrova et al., 2016). I kept a detailed field journal to document all

notes, judgments, and decisions made. Also, I ensured there was an awareness of

personal feelings and biases during the research process by maintaining a reflexive

journal. Removing personal feelings and biases is important piece of the confirmability

element.

Data saturation. I achieved data saturation to increase the quality of my study

and to improve reliability and validity. Researchers may improve the quality of the study

by displaying that data saturation has occurred (Hyett et al., 2014). I used the review of

literature to display data saturation. Researchers assume data saturation occurs when all

relevant information for the research question has been researched and no new

information will be found by analyzing other sources of data (Assarroudi et al., 2018). By

detecting the point at which no new relevant information is found, data saturation is

ensured. No new information such as ideas or themes should be revealed through further

examination of data if data saturation has occurred (Assarroudi et al., 2018).

Transition and Summary

In Section 2, I have described the research methodology of this study and have

detailed the benefits and consequences of using the research methodology. Additionally, I

have detailed why multiple case study design was the most effective design to use for this

study. The role of the researcher, the participants that will participate in this study, and

the selection criteria to determine the participants are detailed in Section 2. I detailed the

strategies I used for the data collection procedures and the data analysis stage. I detail

how reliability and validity of the study was established by including descriptions of the

processes and procedures of the study. In Section 3, I will present the findings of the

study, the recommendations for action, the recommendations for future research, and the

implications of social change due to the study and the results.

Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change

Introduction

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies

project managers in the IT sector use for delivering successful IT projects. For this study,

my focus was to identify strategies used by project managers in the IT sector. Upon

receiving IRB approval to conduct this study (IRB approval #12-24-19-0676441), I

started the data collection process. The data collection process occurred during a 3-week

period and involved semistructured face-to-face interviews with six IT project managers

with at least 1 year of experience from three businesses in Northeast Ohio.

As written in my interview protocol, I met with each interviewee and recorded

and transcribed the interviews to gain a solid understanding of the data collected from the

participants. I triangulated the data gathered with the project documentation that each

participant provided from their place of employment. To code, analyze the data, and

identify themes, I used NVivo 12 software. From the data analysis, I found four main

themes: (a) communication amongst all members of the project, (b) professional

development in project management, (c) extensive planning, and (d) experience in the

field. These three themes provided information and insight in understanding the major

reasons IT project managers are successful in implementing IT projects.

Presentation of the Findings

The overarching research question of this study was as follows: What strategies

do project managers in the IT sector use for delivering successful IT projects? I

conducted semistructured interviews to answer this question. After conducting the

semistructured interviews I reviewed all responses and analyzed additional

documentation that each interviewee provided. I analyzed the data and triangulated the

responses of the interviewees. Each interview was conducted in a location selected by the

participant to ensure comfortability. Additionally, to ensure confidentiality of each

interviewee and the company represented, I coded each company and interviewee as

presented in Table 2.

Table 2

Participant and Organization Codes

Company A

Column B

Column C

Participant CA-

Participant CB-

Participant CC-

Participant CA-

Participant CB-

Participant CC-

The primary focus of this study was to determine strategies used by IT project

managers to effectively implement IT projects. The participants involved had varying

degrees of experience ranging from 5 years of experience to 20 years of experience

managing projects. Table 3 shows the participant along with the number of years of

experience and the theme or themes discussed in the interviews.

Table 3

Participants, Experiences, and Themes

Participant

Experience

in Years

Theme(s)

Participant CA-

Communication, Planning

Participant CA-

Experience

Participant CB-

Experience, Planning

Participant CB-

Experience, Professional Development

Participant CC-

Experience

Participant CC-

Communication, Professional

Development

Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) communication amongst all

members of the project, (b) professional development in project management, (c)

extensive planning, and (d) experience in the field. The discovered themes displayed a

wide understanding of the challenges facing IT project managers in Northeast Ohio.

Additionally, the themes provided insight into the strategies IT project managers used to

manage teams and resources.

Theme 1: Communication

The first theme that emerged was communication and how communication from

all levels aids in the successful completion of projects. Communication is one of the most

important factors for all IT projects and is also one of the most cited factors in the

literature about IT project management (Hassan, Ahmad, & Zuhaira, 2018; Kocherla,

2012; Müller & Jugdev, 2012; Rashid & Boussabiane, 2019; Slepian, 2013). Two of the

six participants remarked that communication was a key factor in successful projects.

Participant CA-P1 remarked that communication was the most important factor in the

success of IT projects because communication allows for both successes and failures to

be communicated to all stakeholders of the project. Not only did participant CA-P1

remark that communication was important but that it was necessary to ensure success of

any IT project, and this included communication from the leadership overseeing the

project all the way to the individual project members performing everyday tasks.

Participant CC-P6 remarked that communication was an integral part of the

success of all IT projects. Participant CC-P6 also stated that if there is no communication

or if improper channels of communication were used, the project should be considered a

risk because the varying participants of the project may then work toward goals that did

not align with the project as a whole. Participant CC-P6 said that without proper

communication, the project becomes at risk of failure at the onset. The importance of

communication as stated by two of the six participants confirmed the findings of

researchers in the field that communication is a critical factor in the successful

implementation of IT projects (Jan, Dad, Amin, Hameed, & Shah, 2016).

Zuofa and Ochieng (2017) found that communication strategies used in the proper

format and with the proper participants were critical for the success of project

implementation. Participants CA-P1 and CC-P6 both followed a logical communication

methodology to ensure all participants were kept up-to-date and knew what other

participants in the project were working toward. Stakeholders from leadership were also

aware of how the projects were proceeding because of effective communication. Both

CA-P1 and CC-P6 effectively communicated leadership decisions to project team

members to ensure communication was present at all levels of the project. The

organizational documentation provided by CA-P1 and CC-P6 on how IT projects were to

be implemented included a section on communication. This section on communication

from both participants stressed the importance of face-to-face meetings to keep

stakeholders and project team members updated. Weekly and biweekly meetings were

held at all levels by both participants CA-P1 and CC-P6.

Participant CA-P1 remarked that all team members and stakeholders were in the

same building every day so face-to-face communication was an easy task. Participant

CA-P1 set up meetings with leadership and other high-level stakeholders every 2 weeks

and allowed for up to 2 hours of discussion to ensure there was enough time to

communicate progress, issues, and resolutions. For the project team members, participant

CA-P1 set up daily meetings that were no more than 15 minutes and had weekly

meetings to discuss all progress for that week. Participant CA-P1 remarked that the

scheduled meetings were not the only meetings during the week as they had a

relationship with nearly all project participants and would discuss the specifics about the

project in a less formal structure at other times during the week.

Participant CC-P6 created a communication plan at the beginning of each phase

of the project with the assistance of project leadership. This communication plan detailed

when meetings should occur and how often participant CC-P6 should meet with each

level of the project team. Participant CC-P6 indicated that even though the

communication plan was very specific, these plans would often not occur as expected

because there were several members of the stakeholder group that were routinely

unavailable and so the communication plan could not occur as laid out. Participant CC-P6

indicated that communication still existed throughout the project but would often occur

through text messages or e-mails.

Participants CA-P1 and CC-P6 demonstrated an ability to communicate

effectively with stakeholders and project team members and many studies have affirmed

the findings of this research showing that proper communication is essential to the

successful implementation of IT projects (Deshpande, Beecham, & Richardson, 2013;

Kuehn, 2016). Additionally, the highly-regarded Project Management Institute created

the Project Management Book of Knowledge that included an entire chapter about the

importance of communication in project management (PMI, 2017).

Theme 2: Professional Development

The second theme was professional development and the positive outcome of

using resources aimed at furthering knowledge and information about project

management. Two participants, CB-P4 and CC-P6, remarked that professional

development for IT project management is an important strategy to ensuring successful

IT project management. Professional development from both internal and external

sources is important to better understand how future projects occur for organizations

(Langley, 2015). Both CB-P4 and CC-P6 had well-documented professional development

experiences and focused on increasing their knowledge of IT project management by

using classroom learning and conferences to enhance their experience.

Participants CB-P4 and CC-P6 work for organizations that require documentation

of attendance at professional development classes and of passing along information

learned from the classes to the other parts of the organization. After attending the

professional development classes, CB-P4 was required to hold several small conferences

with those coworkers interested in hearing about the professional development classes

and the content that came from them. CC-P6 was required to hold one larger seminar in

which all employees in the organization were invited to attend. In both situations the

meetings were recorded and posted on an internal company website.

By attending professional development classes, participants CB-P4 and CC-P6

learned from the mistakes and successes of other IT project managers and then passed

along that information to others in the organization. This method of information

gathering through professional development allowed participants CB-P4 and CC-P6 to

draw on knowledge that they did not previously possess and go through a sort of

postproject review on projects they did not manage. By going through this practice during

the professional development classes, participants CB-P4 and CC-P6 identified what

went right or wrong in the final phase of the project and used this knowledge to ensure

they and others would not commit the same mistakes in future projects. The final part of

the closing phase is the postproject review where the researcher appraises what was

successful and what was a failure during the project (Windapo et al., 2014). Participants

CB-P4 and CC-P6 used the knowledge gained from the professional development classes

to gather information in a more detailed and thorough process so they could then apply

those learnings to projects in the future.

Theme 3: Planning

The third theme was planning for the project both before the project started and

while the project was underway. Two participants, CA-P1 and CB-P3, identified planning

as one of the most important pieces to successfully implementing an IT project. Both

participants identified in-progress planning as an important tool to understand the

direction of the project and to ensure high performance. Monitoring and controlling

activities used by project managers assist in understanding the direction of the project and

if the project is moving along successfully or if something within the project needs to be

changed (PMI, 2017). Project managers must monitor the correct activities and decisions

to understand the day-to-day progress of each project and understand how each

interaction affects other parts of the project (Mauerhoefer et al., 2017). Participants CA-

P1 and CB-P3 used appropriate monitoring and controlling systems provided by their

organization to assist in decision-making and to provide greater definition to the direction

of the projects.

For both CA-P1 and CB-P3 and their respective organizations, Microsoft Office

Project was used to monitor and control the project and timelines associated with the

project. Both participants tracked timeline and resource availability while also using the

dependency function of Microsoft Office Project. Both participants conducted daily and

weekly meetings to communicate and understand the progress of all projects. By using a

Gantt chart, both participants gave an illustrated display of the project progress while also

displaying the dependencies each task was associated with. The participants planned with

both stakeholders and project team members to get a better understanding of the project

and the direction needed after each meeting.

Participants CA-P1 and CB-P3 understood that to successfully implement an IT

project there would need to be a high degree of monitoring and the flexibility to change

dependent upon what happened on a day-to-day basis. The plan must be constantly

compared to the progress of the project which requires constant monitoring and updating

(Allen et al., 2014; Zhang & Zuo, 2016). The PMI (2017) stated that project managers

must frequently monitor and control the progress of projects to ensure that the established

project plan is being followed while also adapting the needs of the project to fit any

changes that may occur.

Theme 4: Experience

The fourth theme that emerged was experience and how learning from prior

projects, both successful and unsuccessful, can aid a project manager in the

implementation of other projects. Participants CA-P2, CB-P3, CB-P4, and CC-P5

recognized experience as being an important part in implementing successful IT projects.

Similar to professional development, experience allows the participants to understand

how and why projects in the past succeeded and failed (Langley, 2015). All four

participants that identified experience as an important factor in IT project implementation

stated they performed a lessons learned meeting at the end of the project to gather as

much information as possible for what went correctly during the project and what failed

during the project.

Participants CA-P2, CB-P4, and CC-P5 used organizational documentation to

determine what was successful in the project and what was not successful in the project.

These documents were formalized by the organization and after they were completed the

participants would meet with leadership to determine the next steps in implementing

further projects based on the experience from the project that had just concluded.

Participant CB-P3 was not provided with formal documentation by their organization but

the expectation after a project had concluded was for participant CB-P3 to gain an

understanding of the successes and failures of the project and report them to all

stakeholders in a meeting before formally closing the project. All documentation for all

four participants was required to be signed by the CTO before formally closing each

project.

Participants CB-P4 and CC-P5 conducted a formal process for both the closure

and opening of new projects. These two participants were required by their organization

to use the documentation on successes and failures of their previous projects to plan for

their next project to aid in avoiding the failures that occurred previously. Researchers

have affirmed the importance of using documentation from previous projects to avoid

similar mistakes in future projects thus confirming the findings of this study (Allen et al.,

2014; Winch & Leiringer, 2016; Zhang & Zuo, 2016). Participants CB-P4 and CC-P5

remarked that the formal process of using the documentation on the successes and

failures of their previous projects aided them in making positive decisions in the

following projects. Both participants stated that the process was not perfect, but they felt

more comfortable making decisions than they would have otherwise.

Findings Related to the Conceptual Framework

Malone and Crowston (1994) developed the coordination theory which is the

basis of the conceptual framework for this study. To be successful in any project, leaders

must develop processes and procedures to coordinate communication and project work

among different groups (Malone & Crowston, 1994). The results and findings of this

study indicates the applicability of coordination theory and confirms the general idea of

coordination theory. Project managers that successfully implement IT projects use

effective communication and coordination amongst all parties in an organization (Tan et

al., 2017; Thalmann et al., 2014). Using the coordination theory, I uncovered and

identified themes and strategies that IT project managers use to successfully implement

projects.

The results of this study demonstrate that correct and proper coordination of

activities by project managers and project teams is important to the success of the project

(Tan et al., 2017). Also demonstrated through the findings of this study is that inefficient

or poor coordination in projects remains problematic for IT project managers and lowers

the likelihood of successful implementation of IT projects (Jiang & Klein, 2014).

Because of the complex nature of IT projects, project managers are required to

understand how to coordinate functions throughout the organization and amongst the

many levels of employees within the organization (Barata & Cunha, 2017).

Findings Related to Existing Literature

The results and findings of this study may add to the existing body of literature by

promoting specific strategies to ensure that IT project managers are as well prepared as

possible to successfully implement an IT project. All strategies used by the participants of

this study aligned closely with the existing literature on strategies to successfully

implement IT projects. Purkayastha and Sharma (2016) noted that identifying and using

the best possible strategies helps to successfully implement IT projects thus increasing

the capabilities of the IT department in an organization.

The four themes identified in this study are communication, professional

development, planning, and experience. Communication is a wide topic but the

participants that specifically identified communication as an important piece of

successfully implementing an IT project specified that communication includes daily,

weekly, and monthly meetings. The participants also noted that the correct type of

communication is necessary to successfully communicate with all levels of the

organization. The communication ideas presented by the participants links directly with

the coordination theory as posed by Malone and Crowston (1990) suggesting that IT

project managers must understand the dependencies and what is happening with their

project to understand how to best coordinate all functions for a project. Communication

among all levels of the project and stakeholder teams is not only useful but necessary for

a project manager to grasp progress and dependencies for the project (Crowston, 1997).

With the advent of agile project methodologies, many IT project managers used those

strategies that work best for their projects (Azanha et al., 2017; Ozieranska et al., 2016).

Because agile project methodology focuses on a constant stream of communication with

many meetings, the participants of this study focused on meetings for their primary

method of communication.

Applications to Professional Practice

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that IT project managers

use to effectively manage and implement IT projects. As IT continues to grow and

support more departments of all organizations, leaders must rely on IT capabilities to not

only fix issues that arise but also implement new solutions that helps organizations move

forward (Sanchez-Morcilio & Quiles-Torres, 2016; Thalmann et al., 2014). The four

themes gathered from IT project managers may have a positive effect on the strategies

used by IT project managers. The findings and results of this study may assist IT project

managers in using the correct tools to best implement an IT project. IT leaders may also

gain a better understanding of the effective methods and strategies of implementing an IT

project and may create new or additional organizational standards to which IT project

managers must adhere.

The results contained in this study are relevant to professional practice because

the findings were gathered from IT project managers with varying levels of experience

who have successfully implemented IT projects. IT project managers continue to fail at

implementing IT projects as a majority of these IT projects do not progress as expected

(Larson & Chang, 2016; Terlizzi, de Souza, & de Moraes, 2016). The results of this study

may assist IT project managers and IT leaders to better understand what an IT project

needs to be successfully implemented. Current IT project managers may use the findings

of this study to implement better practices and procedures whereas future IT project

managers may get a positive start to their career as an IT project manager by using the

findings of this study.

Implications for Social Change

The findings of this study may help to create positive social change by providing

knowledge to IT project managers, IT leaders, and organizations as a whole thus creating

and maintaining job growth which will, in turn, impact the local community standard of

living. By implementing the strategies and information in this study, IT leaders may

promote positive growth in the business and may implement more successful projects

leading to resources being used more across a larger range of products and services. The

innovative efforts of organizations will increase thus leading to more innovative products

and services. These innovations can lead to a reduction in the cost of products and

services thus allowing customers of the products and services to buy more with the

resources they possess. Additional benefits such as improved quality in the products and

services, higher customer satisfaction, and an increase in sales are some of the benefits

that may follow the use of more effective strategies.

Through an increase in organizational efficiency, the local community may

benefit through consideration of hiring more employees as efficiencies increase.

Additionally, products and services may become more available to the general public

through the reduction in cost of these products and services. An increase in volunteerism

and charitable giving may also occur. Increased efficiencies in the organization may

possibly lead to more proactive engagement by the organization in the local and remote

communities.

Recommendations for Action

The findings of this study may assist current and future IT project managers to

anticipate challenges and issues that may arise during IT projects. In this study, I

explored the strategies used by IT projects managers to successfully implement an IT

project. Based on the results of this research, I recommend the following to all current

and future IT project managers:

• schedule daily meetings,

• schedule weekly meetings,

• develop a project plan to gather and record requirements,

• create a communication plan that includes all project team members,

• create risk assessments and risk mitigation plans,

• develop a lessons learned schedule after each major accomplishment.

The results of this study are significant and applicable to IT project managers, IT

stakeholders, IT professionals, and any organizational leader that works with or leads an

IT team. To communicate these strategies from this study I will submit the results to

journals and other professional literature. Additionally, I will present the findings to my

local PMI Cleveland Chapter. I will also present these findings to my coworkers who

desire to learn more about effective IT project management strategies.

Recommendations for Further Research

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies

used by IT project managers to successfully implement an IT project. For this study, I

identified three limitations. The first limitation dealt with only allowing IT project

managers to take part in the study. To overcome this limitation, I contacted only those

potential participants that I knew to be currently employed as an IT project manager. The

second limitation I identified was that each IT project manager was required to have at

least one year of IT project manager experience while also having completed successfully

at least one IT project. The definition of a successful implementation of a project was

determined to be a project that was completed both on time and having used only the

allotted resources or less than the allotted resources. To overcome this limitation, I

contacted only those IT project managers I knew to have successfully implemented IT

projects in the past. The third limitation concerned the sample size and the geographic

location of the study. I limited the study to include a sample size of six IT project

managers from the Northeast Ohio area. To overcome this limitation, future researchers

could expand the geographic location of the study as well as increasing the sample size of

the study. Based on the limitations of this study, I recommend future research consider

the following:

• use a larger sample size of IT project managers,

• increase the geographic region to other states or other areas of Ohio,

• consider using IT project managers from other countries,

• use different methodologies than this study,

• research more deeply into specific IT projects rather than all of IT.

Reflections

The DBA Doctoral study process was a long and challenging process but,

ultimately, a fulfilling and rewarding one. Prior to the start of this program, I generally

understood the difficulty and time commitment this journey would require but did not

anticipate the full extent of the time commitment. The time commitment has been a

consistent challenge to overcome as there are always situations in life occurring that takes

away from my academic focus.

Based on the subject of this study, I did have preconceived ideas about the subject

matter because I am an IT project manager and have many years of experience so I am

already aware of many of the strategies that are required to successfully implement an IT

project. To mitigate any potential biases on the subject matter, I focused only on the facts

and research I found in articles and other forms of research. When interviewing

participants, I did not lead them into any answer and allowed them to speak as much or as

little about a topic as they desired. If I required clarification of an answer, I would ask the

participant to repeat their answer in a different manner so I could better understand the

response given. Additionally, I used NVivo software to aid in the generation of themes

and the interpretation of results to mitigate any bias I may have had. To further increase

reliability and credibility, member checking was used so the participants were able to see

a summary of their responses and my interpretations and they were able to correct

anything that was incorrect.

During the interview process, I identified four major themes from the participants.

Several of the participants had very similar responses to one another and used the same

general strategies to successfully implement IT projects. While there was variation in the

responses received by the participants, most used very similar strategies. Because of these

responses, I now have a better grasp of some of the basic concepts of IT project

management that I did not incorporate into my own process before. Additionally, with

this gathering of knowledge, all six participants expressed interest in receiving a

summary of findings so they could use the techniques that others use.

Conclusion

For this qualitative multiple case study, I explored the strategies IT project

managers use to successfully implement IT projects. I collected data from IT project

managers with at least one year of experience and one successfully implemented IT

project. The data was collected in the Northeast Ohio geographical area. I used

methodological triangulation to analyze two sources of data until I reached data

saturation. From the data, four major themes were identified that can could assist both IT

stakeholders and IT project managers to improve the implementation of IT projects. The

four major themes included (a) effective communication, (b) professional development,

theme was analyzed in relation to existing literature and I used coordination theory to

address the differing levels of complexity in successfully implementing an IT project.

Identifying and using the strategies to successfully implement IT projects is the main

contribution to business practice. The potential positive social change is the increase in

efficiency in organizations thus potentially leading to more community involvement

through increased hiring and larger charitable acts.

References

Aaltonen, K., & Kujala, J. (2016). Towards an improved understanding of project

stakeholder landscapes. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 1536-

1552. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.08.009

Abbasianjahromi, H., Sepehri, M., & Abbasi, O. (2018). A decision-making framework

for subcontractor selection in construction projects. Engineering Management

Journal, 30, 141-152. doi:10.1080/10429247.2018.1448967

Acevedo, A. L. R. (2016). Strategies to control internal factors affecting information

systems projects in Puerto Rico (Doctoral dissertation). Walden Dissertations and

Doctoral Studies database. (UMI No. 3119)

Addas, S., & Pinsonneault, A. (2016). IT capabilities and NPD performance: Examining

the mediating role of team knowledge processes. Knowledge Management

Research & Practice, 14, 76-95. doi:10.1057/kmrp.2014.16

Ahamed, R. S. S. (2012). Moving toward effective software project scheduling and

planning to establish reasonable plans for performing the software engineering

and for managing the software project. GESJ: Computer Science and

Telecommunication, 1(33), 21-29. Retrieved from

http://gesj.internetacademy.org.ge

Ali, A., & Yusof, H. (2011). Quality in qualitative studies: The case of validity,

reliability, and generalizability. Social and Environmental Accounting, 5(1), 25-

64. Retrieved from http://www.iiste.org

Aljawarneh, S., Alawneh, A., & Jaradat, R. (2017). Cloud security engineering: Early

stages of SDLC. Future Generation Computer Systems, 74, 385-392.

doi:10.1016/j.future.2016.10.005

Allen, M., Alleyne, D., Farmer, C., McRae, A., & Turner, C. (2014). A framework for

project success. Journal of IT and Economic Development, 5(2), 1-17. Retrieved

from http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/RJTE20/current

Almgren, K. (2014). Information technology project management processes and

practices: A comprehensive study for successful implementation of IT projects.

International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5(11), 84-92. Retrieved

from http://www.ijbssnet.com/

Alsharo, M., Gregg, D., & Ramirez, R. (2017). Virtual team effectiveness: The role of

knowledge sharing and trust. Information & Management, 54, 479-490.

doi:10.1016/j.im.2016.10.005

Annansingh, F., & Howell, K. (2016). Using phenomenological constructivism (pc) to

discuss a mixed method approach in information systems research. Electronic

Journal of Business Research Methods, 14(1), 39-49. Retrieved from

http://www.ejbrm.com/main.html

Antonenko, P. D. (2015). The instrumental value of conceptual frameworks in

educational technology research. Education Technology Research and

Development, 63, 53-71. doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9363-4

Armour, P. G. (2013). The business of software: How we build things and why things are

90% complete. Communications of the ACM, 56(1), 32-33.

doi:10.1145/2398356.2398367

Arseven, I. (2014). A study design using qualitative methods for program evaluation.

International Journal of Academic Research, 6, 417-422.

doi:10.7813/20754124.2014/6-1/B.56

Assarroudi, A., Nabavi, F. H., Armat, M. R., Ebadi, A., & Vaismoradi, M. (2018).

Directed qualitative content analysis: The description and elaboration of its

underpinning methods and data analysis process. Journal of Research in Nursing,

23(1), 42-55. doi:10.1177/1744987117741667

Azanha, A., Argoud, A. T., Camargo, J. D., & Antoniolli, P. D. (2017). Agile project

management with scrum. International Journal of Managing Project in Business,

10, 121-142. doi:10.1108/IJMPB-06-2016-0054

Badewi, A. (2016). The impact of project management (PM) and benefits management

(BM) practices on project success: Towards developing a project benefits

governance framework. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 761-

778. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.05.005

Banks, G. C., Pollack, J. M., & Seers, A. (2016). Team coordination and organizational

routines: Bottoms up – and top down. Management Decision, 54, 1059-1072.

doi:10.1108/MD-07-2014-0442

Barata, J., & Cunha, P. R. (2017). Synergies between quality management and

information systems: A literature review and map for further research. Total

Quality Management & Business Excellence, 28, 282-295.

doi:10.1080/14783363.2015.1080117

Bengtsson, M. (2016). How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content

analysis. NursingPlus Open, 2, 8-14. doi:10.1016/j.npls.2016.01.001

Bevort, F., & Suddaby, R. (2016). Scripting professional identities: How individuals

make sense of contradictory institutional logics. Journal of Professions and

Organization, 3(1), 17-38. doi:10.1093/jpo/jov007

Bhutani, K., Kumar, M., Garg, G., & Aggarwal, S. (2016). Assessing IT projects success

with extended fuzzy cognitive maps & neutrosophic cognitive maps in

comparison to fuzzy cognitive maps. Neutrosophic Sets and Systems, 12, 9-19.

doi:10.5281/zenodo.571131

Birken, S. A., Lee, S. Y. D., Weiner, B. J., Chin, M. H., Chiu, M., & Schaefer, C. T.

(2015). From strategy to action: How top managers’ support increases middle

managers’ commitment to innovation implementation in healthcare organizations.

Health Care Management Review, 40, 159-168.

doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000018

Birt, L., Scott, S., Cavers, D., Campbell, C., & Walter, F. (2016). Member checking: A

tool to enhance trustworthiness or merely a nod to validation? Qualitative Health

Research, 26, 1802-1811. doi:10.1177/1049732316654870

Boddy, C. (2016). Sample size for qualitative research. Qualitative Marketing Research,

19, 426-432. doi:10.1108/QMR-06-2016-0053

Busis, N. A., Shanafelt, T. D., Keran, C. M., Levin, K. H., Schwarz, H. B., Molano, J. R.,

. . . Cascino, T. L. (2017). Burnout, career satisfaction, and well-being among US

neurologists in 2016. Neurology, 88, 797-808.

doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003640

Cadez, S., Czerny, A., & Letmathe, P. (2019). Stakeholder pressures and corporate

climate change mitigation strategies. Business Strategy & the Environment, 28, 1-

14. doi:10.1002/bse.2070

Caffaro, F., Lundqvst, P., Cremasco, M. M., Nilsson, K., Pinzke, S., & Cavallo, E.

(2018). Machinery-related perceived risks and safety attitudes in senior Swedish

farmers. Journal of Agromedicine, 23, 78-91.

doi:10.1080/1059924X.2017.1384420

Cai, Z., Huang, Q., Liu, H., & Liang, L. (2016). The moderating role of information

technology capability in the relationship between supply chain collaboration and

organizational responsiveness: Evidence from China. International Journal of

Operations & Production Management, 36, 1247-1271. doi:10.1108/IJOPM-08-

2014-0406

Caliandro, A. (2018). Digital methods for ethnography: Analytical concepts for

ethnographers exploring social media environments. Journal of Contemporary

Ethnography, 47, 551-578. doi:10.1177/0891241617702960

Caputo, F., Veltri, S., & Venturelli, A. (2017). Sustainability strategy and management

control systems in family firms. Evidence from a case study. Sustainability, 9,

977-999. doi:10.3390/su9060977

100

Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for interview research: The interview research

protocol refinement framework. Qualitative Report, 21, 811-831. Retrieved from

https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol21/iss5/2

Castleberry, A. (2014). NVivo 10 [software program]. Version 10. QSR International;

2012. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(1), 1-21.

doi:10.5688/ajpe78125

Chen, L., & Han, W. J. (2016). Shanghai: Front-runner of community-based eldercare in

China. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 28. 292-307.

doi:10.1080/08959420.2016.1151310

Chen, T., Fu, M., Liu, R., Xu, X., Zhou, S., & Liu, B. (2019). How do project

management competencies change within the project management career model

in large Chinese construction companies? International Journal of Project

Management, 37, 485-500. doi:10.1016/j/ijproman.2018.12.002

Chughtai, H., & Myers, M. D. (2017). Entering the field in qualitative field research: A

rite of passage into a complex practice world. Information Systems Journal, 27,

795-817. doi:10.1111/isj.12124

Church, K. S., Schmidt, P. J., & Smedley, G. (2016). Casey’s collections: A strategic

decision-making case using the systems development lifecycle—planning and

analysis phases. Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, 13(2), 231-

245. doi:10.2308/jeta-51472

101

Clayton, D. (2016). Volunteers’ knowledge activities at UK music festivals: A

hermeneutic-phenomenological exploration of individuals’ experiences. Journal

of Knowledge Management, 20, 162-180. doi:10.1108/JKM-05-2015-0182

Cleland, D. I. (2007). Strategic management: The project linkages. The Wiley Guide to

project, program & portfolio management (2nd Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &

Sons. doi:10.1002/9780470172391.ch9

Conklin, T. A. (2014). Phenomenology redux: Doing phenomenology, becoming

phenomenological. Organization Management Journal, 11, 116-128.

doi:10.1080/15416518.2014.929935

Conrow, E. H., & Shishido, P. S. (1997). Implementing risk management on software

intensive projects. IEEE Software 14, 3, 83–89. doi:10.1109/52.589242

Corsaro, D. (2019). Capturing the broader picture of value co-creation management.

European Management Journal, 37, 99-116. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.007

Cox, J., Cormack, C., Prendergast, M., Celestino, H., Willis, S., & Witteveen, M. (2016).

Patient and provider experience with a new model of care for primary hip and

knee arthroplasties. International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing,

20, 13-27. doi:10.1016/j.ijotn.2015.05.003

Crowston, K. (1997). A coordination theory approach to organizational process design.

Organization Science, 8, 157-176. doi:10.1287/orsc.8.2.157

Curtis, A. M., Dennis, A. R., & McNamara, K. O. (2017). From monologue to dialogue:

Performative objects to promote collective mindfulness in computer-mediated

102

team discussions. MIS Quarterly, 41, A1-A6. Retrieved from

http://www.misq.org/

Dempsey, L., Dowling, M., Larkin, P., & Murphy, K. (2016). Sensitive interviewing in

qualitative research. Research in Nursing & Health, 39, 480-490.

doi:10.1002/nur.21743

Deshpande, S., Beecham, S., & Richardson, I. (2013). Using the PMBOK? Guide to

frame GSD coordination strategies. Proceedings – IEEE 8th International

Conference on Global Software Engineering, ICGSE 2013, 188-196.

doi:10.1109/ICGSE.2013.32

DeVaney, S., Spangler, A., Lee, Y. A., & Delgadillo, L. (2018). Tips from the experts on

conducting and reviewing qualitative research. Family & Consumer Sciences, 46,

396-405. doi:10.1111/fcsr.12264

Doherty, M. (2011). Using organizational, coordination, and contingency theories to

examine project manager insights on Agile and traditional success factors for

information technology projects (Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest Dissertations

and Theses database. (UMI No. 3478454)

Duffy, J. M. N., Rolph, R., Gale, C., Hirsch, M., Khan, K. S., Ziebland, S., & McManus,

R. J. (2017). Core outcome sets in women’s and newborn health: A systematic

review. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 124, 1481-1489.

doi:10.1111/1471-0528.14694

Eker, S., & Zimmermann, N. (2016). Using textual data in system dynamics model

conceptualization. Systems, 4(3), 28-41. doi:10.3390.systems4030028

103

Englander, M. (2016). The phenomenological method in qualitative psychology and

psychiatry. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Health and Well-being,

11, 1-11. doi:10.3402/qhw.v11.3068

Erlingsson, C., & Brysiewicz, P. (2017). A hands-on guide to doing content analysis.

African Journal of Emergency Medicine, 7(3), 93-99.

doi:10.1016/j.afjem.2017.08.001

Evans, B. (2018). HIPAA’s individual right of access to genomic data: Reconciling

safety and civil rights. American Journal of Human Genetics, 102, 5-10.

doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.12.004

Finlay, K., Peacock, S., & Elander, J. (2018). Developing successful social support: An

interpretative phenomenological analysis of mechanisms and processes in a

chronic pain support group. Psychology & Health, 33, 846-871.

doi:10.1080/08870446.2017.1421188

Fletcher, D., de Massis, A., & Nordqvist, M. (2016). Qualitative research practices and

family business scholarship: A review and future research agenda. Journal of

Family Business Strategy, 7(1), 8-25. doi:10.1016/j.jfbs.2015.08.001

Fusch, P. I., & Ness, L. R. (2015). Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative

research. The Qualitative Report, 20, 1408-1416. Retrieved from

http://nsuworks.edu

Gehman, J., Glaser, V. L., Eisenhardt, K. M., Gioia, D., Langley, A., & Corley, K. G.

(2018). Finding theory—method fit: A comparison of three qualitative approaches

104

to theory building. Journal of Management Inquiry, 27, 284-300.

doi:10.1177/1056492617706029

Geithner, S., & Menzel, D. (2016). Effectiveness of learning through experience and

reflection in a project management simulation. Simulation & Gaming, 47, 228-

256. doi:10.1177/1046878115624312

Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The

Qualitative Report, 8, 597-606. Retrieved from http://www.tqr.nova.edu

Gray, D., & Jones, K. (2016). Using organizational development and learning methods to

develop resilience for sustainable futures with SMEs and micro businesses.

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 23, 474-494.

doi:10.1108/JSBED-03-2015-0031

Gresham, G., & Burleigh, C. (2019). Exploring early childhood preservice teachers’

mathematics anxiety and mathematics efficacy beliefs. Teaching Education, 30,

217-241. doi:1080/10476210.2018.1466875

Guha, S., & Chakrabarti, S. (2016). Differentials in attitude and employee turnover

propensity: A study of information technology professionals. Global Business &

Management Research, 8(1), 1-17. Retrieved from http://www.gbmr.ioksp.com

Guo, J. X. (2019). Measuring information system project success through a software-

assisted qualitative content analysis. Information Technology and Libraries,

38(1). 53-70. doi:10.6017/ital.v38i1.10603

Gupta, A., Kannan, K., & Sanyal, P. (2018). Economic experiments in information

systems. MIS Quarterly, 42, 595-606. doi:10.25300/MISQ/2018/13049

105

Hak, S., Morandi, P., & Magenes, G. (2018). Prediction of inter-storey drifts for regular

RC structures with masonry infills based on bare frame modeling. Bulletin of

Earthquake Engineering, 16, 397-425. doi:10.1007/s10518-017-0210-y

Hamersly, W. (2015). Business governance best practices of virtual project teams

(Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No.

3682520)

Hassan, I., Ahmad, N., & Zuhaira, B. (2018). Calculating completeness of software

project scope definition. Information and Software Technology, 94, 203-233.

doi:10.1016/j.infsof.2017.10.010

Havakhor, T., & Sabherwal, R. (2018). Team processes in virtual knowledge teams: The

effects of reputation signals and network density. Journal of Management

Information Systems, 35, 266-318. doi:10.1080/07421222.2018.144075

Hays, D. G., Wood, C., Dahl, H., & Kirk-Jenkins, A. (2016). Methodological rigor in

journal of counseling & development qualitative research articles: A 15-year

review. Journal of Counseling & Development, 94, 172-183.

doi:10.1002/jcad.12074

Hermano, V., & Martin-Cruz, N. (2016). The role of top management involvement in

firms performing projects: A dynamic capabilities approach. Journal of Business

Research, 69, 3447-3458. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.01.041

Hill, C., Knafl, K., & Santacroce, S. J. (2018). Family-centered care from the perspective

of parents of children cared for in a pediatric intensive care unit: An integrative

review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 41, 22-33. doi:10.1016//j.pedn.2017.11.007

106

Hitch, D. (2016). Attitudes of mental health occupational therapists toward evidence-

based practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 83(1), 27-32.

doi:10.1177/0008417415583108

Holmes, E. A., Blackwell, S. E., Heyes, S. B., Renner, F., & Raes, F. (2016). Mental

imagery in depression: Phenomenology, potential mechanisms, and treatment

implications. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 12, 249-280.

doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-092925

Hooper, L. A. (2013). Exploration of the project management practitioner’s emotional

intelligence competencies (Doctoral study). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

database. (UMI No. 3604406)

Hyett, N., Kenny, A., & Dickson-Swift, V. (2014). Methodology or method? A critical

review of qualitative case study reports. International Journal of Qualitative

Studies on Health and Well-Being, 9, 1-12. doi:10.3402/qhw.v9.23606

Jacob, S. A., & Furgerson, S. P. (2012). Writing interview protocols and conducting

interviews: Tips for students new to the field of qualitative research. The

Qualitative Report, 17(42), 1-10. Retrieved from http://www.tqr.nova.edu

Jan, S. R., Dad, F., Amin, N., Hameed, A., & Shah, S. S. A. (2016). Issues in global

software development (communication, coordination and trust): A critical review.

Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 2(2), 660-663. Retrieved from

http:www.ijsrset.com

107

Javani, B., & Rwelamila, P. M. D. (2016). Risk management in IT project: A case of the

South African public sector. International Journal of Managing Projects in

Business, 9, 389-413. doi:10.1108/IJMPB-07-2015-0055

Jensen, R. K., Agersted, M. E. I., Nielsen, H. A., & O’Neill, S. (2020). A cross-sectional

study of website claims related to diagnoses and treatment of non-musculoskeletal

conditions. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 28(16), 1-8. doi:10.1186/s12998-

020-00305-w

Ji, J., Plakoyiannaki, E., Dimitratos, P., & Chen, S. (2019). The qualitative case research

in international entrepreneurship: A state of the art and analysis. International

Marketing Review, 36, 164-187. doi:10.1108/IMR-02-2017-0052

Jiang, J., Klein, G., & Fernandez, W. (2018). From project management to program

management: An invitation to investigate programs where IT plays a significant

role. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 19(1), 40-57.

doi:10.17705/1jais.00480

Jiang, J. J., & Klein, G. (2014). Special section: IT project management. Journal of

Management Information Systems, 31(1), 13-16. doi:10.2753/MIS0742-

1222310101

Jing, S., Li, B., & Yao, R. (2018). Exploring the “black box” of thermal adaptation using

information entropy. Building and Environment, 146, 166-176.

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.09.038

108

Joslin, R., & Müller, R. (2016). The relationship between project governance and project

success. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 613-626.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.01.008

Kallio, H., Pietila, A. M., & Johnson, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review:

Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide.

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72, 2954-2965. doi:10.111/jan.13031

Kalu, F. A., & Bwalya, J. (2017). What makes qualitative research good research? An

exploratory analysis of critical elements. International Journal of Social Science

Research, 5(2), 43-56. doi:10.5296/ijssr.v5i2.10711

Kapustin, N. O., & Grushevenko, D. A. (2018). Exploring the implications of Russian

energy strategy project for oil refining sector. Energy Policy, 117, 198-207.

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.03.005

Karabulut-Ilgu, A., Cherrez, N. J., & Jahren, C. T. (2017). A systematic review of

research on the flipped learning method in engineering education. British Journal

of Educational Technology, 49, 398-411. doi:10.1111/bjet.12548

Karadzhov, D., Yuan, Y., & Bond, L. (2019). Coping amidst an assemblage of

disadvantage: A qualitative metasynthesis of first-person accounts of managing

severe mental illness while homeless. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health

Nursing. 1-21. doi:10.1111.jpm.12524

Karpovsky, A., & Galliers, R. (2015). Aligning in practice: From current cases to a new

agenda. Journal of Information Technology, 30, 136-160. doi:10.1057/jit.2014.34

109

Karpowicz, M., Arabas, P., & Niewiadomska-Szynkiewicz, E. (2018). Design and

implementation of energy-aware application-specific CPU frequency governors

for the heterogeneous distributed computing systems. Future Generation

Computer Systems, 78, 302-315. doi:10.1016/j.future.2016.05.011

Khaparde, V. M., Somani, Y. R., & Malde, A. (2015). Role of information technology

and communication systems in implementing enterprise resource planning

systems in Indian industries. Global Journal of Enterprise Information Systems,

7(4), 18-22. doi:10.18311/gjeis/2015/6233

Khodyakov, D., Stockdale, S., Smith, N., Booth, M., Altman, L., & Rubenstein, L.

(2017). Patient engagement in the process of planning and designing outpatient

care improvements at the Veterans Administration health-care system: Findings

from an online expert panel. Health Expectations, 20, 130-145.

doi:10.1111/hex.12444

Killen, C. (2017). Managing portfolio interdependencies: The effects of visual data

representations on project portfolio decision making. International Journal of

Managing Projects in Business, 10, 856-879. doi:10.1108/IJMPB-01-2017-0003

King, J., O’Neill, B., Ramsay, P., Linden, M. A., Medniuk, A. D., Outtrim, J., &

Blackwood, B. (2019). Identifying patients’ support needs following critical

illness: A scoping review of the qualitative literature. Critical Care, 23(187), 1-

12. doi:10.1186/s13054-019-2441-6

Kneuper, R. (2017). Sixty years of software development life cycle models. IEEE Annals

of the History of Computing, 39(3), 41-54. doi:10.1109/MAHC.2017.3481346

110

Kocherla, S. (2012). Evaluating managerial styles for system development life-cycle

stages to ensure software project success (Doctoral Dissertation). ProQuest

Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3527308)

Kogan, L. R., & Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. M. (2018). Participation in an intergenerational

service learning course and implicit biases. Educational Gerontology, 44, 90-98.

doi:10.1080/03601277.2017.1413784

Kokolakis, S. (2017). Privacy attitudes and privacy behavior: A review of current

research on the privacy paradox phenomenon. Computers & Security, 64, 122-

134. doi:10.1016/j.cose.2015.07.002

Korytkowski, P. (2019). Competence-based estimation of activity duration in IT projects.

European Journal of Operational Research, 275, 708-720.

doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2018.11.061

Krajcik, V. (2013). Information system for the management of the processes. Accounting

and Management Information Systems, 12, 650-670. Retrieved from

http://econpapers.repec.org/article/amijournl/

Kuehn, S. (2016). Exploring U.S. Business Leaders’ Strategies for Enhancing Team

Communication. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from

http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2410/

Kumari, A. C., & Srinivas, K. (2016). Hyper-heuristic approach for multi-objective

software module clustering. Journal of Systems & Software, 117, 384-401.

doi:10.1016/j.jss.2016.04.007

111

Lai, C. Y., Hsu, J. S. C., & Li, Y. (2018). Leadership, regulatory focus and information

systems development project team performance. International Journal of Project

Management, 36, 566-582. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.11.001

Lancaster, K., Seear, K., Treloar, C., & Ritter, A. (2017). The productive techniques and

constitutive effects of “evidence-based policy” and “consumer participation”

discourses in health policy processes. Social Science & Medicine, 176, 60-68.

doi:10.1016/j.socsimed.2017.01.031

Langley, M. A. (2015). Capturing the Value of Project Management. PMIs Pulse of the

Profession. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/

Larson, D., & Chang, V. (2016). A review and future direction of agile, business

intelligence, analytics and data science. International Journal of Information

Management, 36, 700-710. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.04.013

Lazard, L., & McAvoy, J. (2020). Doing reflexivity in psychological research: What’s the

point? What’s the practice? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 17(2), 159-177.

doi:10.1080/14780887.2017.1400144

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Practical research: Planning and design (10th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Longenecker, J. G., & Pringle, C. D. (1978). The illusion of contingency theory as a

general theory. Academy of Management Review, 3, 679-683.

doi:10.5465/AMR.1978.4305970

Lorenz, M., Ramsey, J., & Richey, R. G. (2018). Expatriates’ international opportunity

recognition and innovativeness: The role of metacognitive and cognitive cultural

112

intelligence. Journal of World Business, 53, 222-236.

doi:10.1016/j.jwb.2017.11.004

Luna, I., & Terra da Silva, M. (2015). Service intangibility and its implications for the

work coordination of primary healthcare multi-professional teams in Brazil.

Work, 52, 617-626. doi:10.3233/WOR-152195

Madsen, A. K. (2013). Virtual acts of balance: Virtual technologies of knowledge

management as co-produced by social intentions and technical limitations.

Electronic Journal of E-Government, 11(2), 183–197.

Retrieved from http://www.ejeg.com/main.html

Malone, T. W., & Crowston, K. (1990). What is coordination theory and how can it help

design cooperative work systems? Proceedings of the 1990 ACM Conference on

Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – CSCW, 90, 357-370.

doi:10.1145/99332.99367

Malone, T. W., & Crowston, K. (1994). The interdisciplinary study of coordination. ACM

Computing Surveys, 26(1), 87-119. doi:10.1145/174666/174668

Mamonov, S., & Koufaris, M. (2018). The effects of IT-related attributional style in

voluntary technology training. Information Systems Management, 35, 220-233.

doi:10.1080/10580530.2018.1477302

Mao, H., Liu, S., Zhang, J., & Deng, Z. (2016). Information technology resource,

knowledge management capability, and competitive advantage: The moderating

role of resource commitment. International Journal of Information Management,

36, 1062-1074. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.07.001

113

March, J., & Simon, H. A. (1958). Organizations, Wiley, New York.

Marks, G., O’Connor, R. V., & Clarke, P. M. (2017). The impact of situational context on

the software development process – A case study of a highly innovative start-up

organization. Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination, 455-

466. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67383-7_33

Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2016). Designing qualitative research (6th ed.).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Martens, M., & Carvalho, M. M. (2017). Key factors of sustainability in project

management context: A survey exploring the project managers’ perspective.

International Journal of Project Management, 35, 1084-1102.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.04.004

Marzagão, D. S. L., & Carvalho, M. (2016). Critical success factors for Six Sigma

projects. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 1505-1518.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.08.005

Mauerhoefer, T., Strese, S., & Brettel, M. (2017). The impact of information technology

on new product development performance. Journal of Product Innovation

Management 34, 719-738. doi:10.1111/jpim.12408

McDonald, S. E., Collins, E. A., Maternick, A., Nicotera, N., Graham-Bermann, S.,

Ascione, F., & Williams, J. H. (2019). Intimate partner violence survivors’ report

of their children’s exposure to companion animal maltreatment: A qualitative

study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34, 2627-2652.

doi:10.1177/0886260516689775

114

Merriam, S. B. (2014). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San

Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Mittelstadt, B. D., Allo, P., Taddeo, M., Wachter, S., & Floridi, L. (2016). The ethics of

algorithms: Mapping the debate. Big Data & Society, 3(2), 1-21.

doi:10.1177/2053951716679679

Mohajan, H. K. (2018). Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related

subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7, 23-48.

doi:10.26458/jedep.v7i1.571

Momeni, K., & Martinsuo, M. (2019). Going downstream in a project-based firm:

Integration of distributors in the delivery of complex systems. International

Journal of Project Management, 37(1), 27-42.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2018.09.007

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. London, New Delhi: Sage

Publications.

Müller, R., & Jugdev, K. (2012). Critical success factors in projects: Pinto, Slevin, and

Prescott – The elucidation of project success. International Journal of Managing

Projects in Business, 5, 757-775. doi:10.1108/17538371211269040

Murgatroyd, D., Lockwood, K., Garth, B., & Cameron, I. D. (2015). The perceptions and

experiences of people injured in motor vehicle crashes in a compensation scheme

setting: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 15, 1-10. doi:10.1186/s12889-

015-1739-9

115

National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and

Behavioral Research (1979). The Belmont report: Ethical principles and

guidelines for the protection of human subject’s research. Washington DC:

National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.htm

Navimipour, N. J., & Charband, Y. (2016). Knowledge sharing mechanisms and

techniques in project teams: Literature review, classification, and current trends.

Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 730-742. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.003

Nelson, J. (2017). Using conceptual depth criteria: Addressing the challenge of reaching

saturation in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 17, 554-570.

doi:1177/1468794116679873

Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2015). Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research.

Evidence-Based Nursing, 18, 34-35. doi:10.1136/eb-2015-102054

Norlyk, A., Haahr, A., & Hall, E. (2016). Interviewing with or without the partner

present? An underexposed dilemma between ethics and methodology in nursing

research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72, 936-945. doi:10.1111/jan.12871

Novakovich, J., Miah, S., & Shaw, S. (2017). Designing curriculum to shape professional

social media skills and identity in virtual communities of practice. Computers &

Education, 104, 65-90. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.11.002

Obradovic, V., Kostic, S. C., & Mitrovic, Z. (2016). Rethinking project management: Did

we miss marketing management? Procedia – Social and Behavior Sciences, 226,

390-397. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.203

116

Oliveira, E. C. B., Alencar, L. H., & Costa, A. S. (2018). Decision process of allocating

projects to project managers. Production Planning & Control, 29, 645-654.

doi:10.1080/09537287.2018.1432086.

Oltmann, S. (2016). Qualitative interviews: A methodological discussion of the

interviewer and respondent contexts. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17(2),

1-16. doi:10.17169/fqs-17.2.2551

Ose, S. O. (2016). Using Excel and Word to structure qualitative data. Journal of Applied

Social Science, 10, 147-162. doi:10.1177/1936724416664948

Overgaard, S. (2015). How to do things with brackets: The epoche explained. Continental

Philosophy Review, 48, 1-17. doi:10.1007/s11007-015-9322-8

Ozieranska, A., Kuchta, D., Skomra, A., & Rola, P. (2016). The critical factors of scrum

implementation in IT project: The case study. Journal of Economics &

Management, 25, 79-96. doi:10.22367/jem.2016.25.06

Papke-Shields, K., & Boyer-Wright, K. M. (2017). Strategic planning characteristics

applied to project management. International Journal of Project Management, 35,

169-179. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.10.015

Parameswar, N., Dhir, S., & Dhir, S. (2017). Banking on innovation. Innovation in

banking of ICICI bank. Global Business & Organizational Excellence, 36(2), 6-

16. doi:10.1002/joe.21765

Park, J., & Park, M. (2016). Qualitative versus quantitative research methods: Discovery

or justification? Journal of Marketing Thought, 3(1), 1-7.

doi:10.15577/jmt.2016.03.01.1

117

Parker, D. W., Dressel, U., Chevers, D., & Zeppetella, L. (2018). Agency theory

perspective on public-private-partnerships: International development project.

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 67, 239-

259. doi:10.1108/IJPPM-09-2016-0191

Paskaleva, K., Evans, J., Martin, C., Linjordet, T., Yang, D., & Karvonen, A. (2017).

Data governance in the sustainable smart city. Informatics, 4(41), 1-19.

doi:10.3390/informatics4040041

Patanakul, P., Kwak, Y. H., Zwikael, O., & Liu, M. (2016). What impacts the

performance of large-scale government projects? International Journal of Project

Management, 34, 452-466. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.12.001

Paulus, T., Woods, M., Atkins, D. P., & Macklin, R. (2017). The discourse of QDAS:

Reporting practices of ATLAS.ti and NVivo users with implications for best

practices. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20, 35-47

doi:10.1080/13645579.2015.1102454

Petrova, E., Dewing, J., & Camilleri, M. (2016). Confidentiality in participatory research:

Challenges from one study. Nursing Ethics, 23, 442-454.

doi:10.1177/0969733014564909

Poonpool, N., Limsuwan, S., & Satchawatee, N. (2013). The effects of risk management

effectiveness on organizational sustainability of information technology

businesses. Review of Business Research, 13(1), 109–129. Retrieved from

http://www.iabe.org/

118

Portillo-Tarragona, P., Scarpellini, S., Moneva, J. M., Valero-Gil, J., & Aranda-Uson, A.

(2018). Classification and measurement of the firms’ resources and capabilities

applied to eco-innovation projects from a resource-based view perspective.

Sustainability, 10, 3161-3183. doi:10.3390/su10093161

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of

knowledge: PMBOK® guide (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Author.

Purkayastha, A., & Sharma, S. (2016). Gaining competitive advantage through the right

business model: Analysis based on case studies. Journal of Strategy and

Management, 9, 138-155. doi:10.1108/JSMA.0060

Qin, W., Guangping, Z., & Xuyan, T. (2017). Information technology project portfolio

implementation process optimization based on complex network theory and

entropy. Entropy, 19, 1-23. doi:10.3390/e19060287

Rashid, A., & Boussabiane, H. (2019). Conceptualizing the influence of personality and

cognitive traits on project managers’ risk-taking behaviour. International Journal

of Managing Projects in Business. Advanced online publication.

doi:10.1108/IJMPB-11-2017-0138

Rasnacis, A., & Berzisa, S. (2017). Method for adaptation and implementation of agile

project management methodology. Procedia Computer Science, 104, 43-50.

doi:10.1016/j.procs.2017.01.055

Rezvani, A., Chang, A., Wiewiora, A., Ashkanasy, N., Jordan, P., & Zolin, R. (2016).

Manager emotional intelligence and project success: The mediating role of job

119

satisfaction and trust. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 1112-

1122. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.05.012

Robson, M. (2016). An ethnographic study of the introduction of internal supervisors to

an internal coaching scheme. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching

& Mentoring 14(2), 106-122. Retrieved from

https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/b6bb9783-f20a-44f6-9e07-f9bd4437eb1/1/

Rodriguez, A., Ortega, F., & Concepcion, R. (2016). A method of the evaluation of risk

in IT projects. Expert Systems with Applications, 45, 273-285.

doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2015.09.056

Roulston, K., & Shelton, S. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing bias in teaching qualitative

research methods. Qualitative Inquiry, 21, 332-342.

doi:10.1177/107780041456803

Ruiz-Espiga, A. G., Severino, M. S., & Humero, A. (2018). Incidence in licensing

management activities in building project life cycle: A strategic matter of

knowledge. Journal of Modern Project Management, 6, 78-87. Retrieved from

http://journalmodernpm.com/index.php/jmpm/article/view/348

Runfola, A., Perna, A., Baraldi, E., & Gregori, G. L. (2017). The use of qualitative case

studies in top business and management journals: A quantitative analysis of recent

patterns. European Management Journal, 35, 116-127.

doi:10.1016/j.emj.2016.04.001

Saaty, T. L. (2008). Decision making for leaders: The analytic hierarchy process for

decisions in a complex world. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: RWS Publications.

120

Sabri, O., & Alfifi, F. (2017). Integrating knowledge life cycle within software

development process to produce a quality software product. 2017 International

Conference on Engineering and Technology (ICET), 1-17.

doi:10.1109/ICEngTechnol.2017.8308172

Saghir, A., & Abdullahi, A. M. (2017). Leadership and project success in development

sector. Journal of Economics & Management, 30, 5-19.

doi:10.22367/jem.2017.30.01

Sanabria, O. (2014). Forecast inaccuracies in power plant projects from project

managers’ perspectives (Doctoral study). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

database. (UMI No. 3628919)

Sanchez, O. P., Terlizzi, M. A., & de Moraes, H. R. de O. (2017). Cost and time project

management success factors for information systems development projects.

International Journal of Project Management, 35, 1608-1626.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.09.007

Sanchez-Morcilio, R., & Quiles-Torres, F. (2016). Trends in information technology

project management. Issues in Information Systems, 17, 187-198. Retrieved from

https://iacis.org/iis/

Sanders, J. J., Robinson, M. T., & Block, S. D. (2016). Factors impacting advance care

planning among African Americans: Results of a systematic integrated review.

Journal of Palliative Medicine, 19, 202-227. doi:10.1089/jpm.2015.0325

Sanders, P. (1982). Phenomenology: A new way of viewing organizational research.

Academy of Management Review, 7, 353-360. doi:0.5465/AMR.1982.4285315

121

Santos, J. N., & Baptista, C. S. (2016). Information exchange within horizontal

relationships: A fuzzy-set approach to companies’ characteristics role. Journal of

Business Research, 69, 5255-5260. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.121

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students.

5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Saunders, M., & Townsend, K. (2016). Reporting and justifying the number of interview

participants in organization and workplace research. British Journal of

Management, 27, 836-852. doi:1111/1467-8551.12182

Schary, D. P., & Cardinal, B. J. (2016). Starting to uncover the mystery of

interdisciplinary research in Kinesiology. Physical Educator, 73, 213-229.

doi:10.18666/TPE-2106-v73-I2-6184

Shek, D. T. L., Wu, F. K. Y., & Chai, W. Y. (2017). Students’ views on general

education: Insights gained from the narratives of Chinese students in Hong Kong.

International Journal of Disability and Human Development, 16, 443-450.

doi:10.1515/ijdhd-2017-7013

Shishodia, A., Dixit, V., & Verma, P. (2018). Project risk analysis based on project

characteristics. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25, 893-918.

doi:10.1108/BIJ-06-2017-0151

Shrivastava, S. V., & Rathod, U. (2017). A risk management framework for distributed

agile projects. Information & Software Technology, 85, 1-15.

doi:10.1016/j.infsof.2016.12.005

122

Singh, C. D., & Khamba, J. S. (2016). Structural equation modeling for manufacturing

competency and strategic success factors. International Journal of Engineering

Research in Africa, 19, 138-155. doi:10.4028/JERA.19.138

Slepian, J. L. (2013). Cross-functional teams and organizational learning: A model and

cases from telecommunications operating companies. International Journal of

Innovation and Technology Management, 10(1), 1-29.

doi:10.1142/S0219877013500053

Stieglitz, S., Mirbabaie, M., Ross, B., & Neuberger, C. (2018). Social media analytics:

Challenges in topic discovery, data collection, and data preparation. International

Journal of Information Management, 39, 156-168.

doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.12.002

Stingl, V., & Geraldi, J. (2017). Errors, lies and misunderstandings: Systematic review on

behavioural decision making in projects. International Journal of Project

Management, 35, 121-135. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.10.009

Stoica, M., Ghilic-Micu, B., Mircea, M., & Uscatu, C. (2016). Analyzing agile

development – from Waterfall style to Scrumban. Informatica Economica, 20(4),

5-14. doi:12948/issn14531305/20.4.2016.01

Tan, Y., Xue, B., & Cheung, Y. T. (2017). Relationships between main contractors and

subcontractors and their impacts on main contractor competitiveness: An

empirical study in Hong Kong. Journal of Construction Engineering and

Management, 143. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)/CO.1943-7862.0001311

123

Terlizzi, M. A., de Souza, F., & de Moraes, H. R. O. (2016). Barriers to the use of an IT

project management methodology in a large financial institution. International

Journal of Project Management, 34, 467-479.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.12.005

Thalmann, S., Bachlechner, D., Demetz, L., & Manhart, M. (2014). Complexity is dead,

long live complexity! How software can help service providers manage security

and compliance. Computers & Security, 45, 172-185.

doi:10.1016/j.cose.2014.05.012

Thatcher, J. B., Wright, R. T., Heshan, S., Zagenczyk, T. J., & Klein, R. (2018).

Mindfulness in information technology use: Definitions, distinctions, and a new

measure. MIS Quarterly, 42, 831-847. doi:10.25300/MISQ/2018/11881

Thomas, S. (2015). Exploring strategies for retaining information technology

professionals: A case study (Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest Dissertations and

Theses database. (UMI No. 3681815)

Thorpe, R., Hawkes, G., Dune, T., Fileborn, B., Pitts, M., & Minichiello, V. (2018).

Hidden boundaries and shared meanings: The roles of researcher characteristics

and cultural norms in shaping understandings of sexuality in the unstructured

interview setting. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21, 205-

217. doi:10.1080/13645579.2017.1350016

Tilk, D. (2016). 5 steps to agile project success. Internal Auditor, 73(2), 57-61. Retrieved

from https://na.theiia.org/periodicals/pages/internal-auditor-magazine.aspx

124

Torp, O., & Klakegg, O. J. (2016). Challenges in cost estimation under uncertainty: A

case study of the decommissioning of Barsebäck nuclear power plant.

Administrative Sciences, 6(14), 1-21. doi:10.3390/admsci6040014

van Marrewijk, A., Ybema, S., Smits, K., Clegg, S., & Pitsis, T. (2016). Clash of the

titans: Temporal organizing and collaborative dynamics in the Panama Canal

megaproject. Organization Studies, 37, 1745-1769.

doi:10.1177/0170840616655489

VanVactor, J. (2015). Healthcare succession management: Are we ready? International

Journal of Public Leadership, 11, 107-122. doi:10.1108/IJPL-11-2014-0021

Varpio, L., Ajjawi, R., Monrouxe, L. V., O’Brien, B. C., & Rees, C. E. (2017). Shedding

the cobra effect: Problematising thematic emergence triangulation, saturation and

member checking. Medical Education, 51, 40-50. doi:10.1111.medu.13124

Vasumanthy, C., & Mohan, J. B. (2013). Application of knowledge management in

systems development life-cycle. International Journal of Management Research

and Review, 3, 2759-2764. Retrieved from http://www.ijmrr.com

Venkatesh, V., Brown, S. A., & Sullivan, Y. (2016). Guidelines for conducting mixed-

methods research: An extension and illustration. Journal of the Association for

Information Systems, 17, 436-494. doi:10.17705/1jais.00433

Vernon-Dotson, L. J. (2013). A review of “doing case study research: A practical guide

for beginning researchers.” Journal of Educational Research, 106, 250.

doi:10.1080/00220671.2012.750135

125

Vidgen, R., Shaw, S., & Grant, D. (2017). Management challenges in creating value from

business analytics. European Journal of Operational Research, 261, 626-639.

doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2017.02.023

Walters, W. (2016). Beyond use statistics: Recall, precision, and relevance in the

assessment and management of academic libraries. Journal of Librarianship and

Information Science, 48, 340-352. doi:10.1177/0961000615572174

Wamba, S. F., Gunasekaran, A., Akter, S., Ren, S. J. F., Dubey, R., & Childe, S. (2017).

Big data analytics and firm performance: Effects of dynamic capabilities. Journal

of Business Research, 70, 356-365. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.009

Wang, Y., Han, Q., de Vries, B., & Zuo, J. (2016). How the public reacts to social

impacts in construction projects? A structural equation modeling study.

International Journal of Project Management, 34, 1433-1448.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.07.008

Wehner, B., Ritter, C., & Leist, S. (2017). Enterprise social networks: A literature review

and research agenda. Computer Networks, 114, 125-142.

doi:10.1016/j.comnet.2016.09.001

Williams, T. (2016). Identifying success factors in construction projects: A case study.

Project Management Journal, 47(1), 97-112. doi:10.1002/pmj.21558

Wilson, A. D., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Manning, L. P. (2016). Using paired depth

interviews to collect qualitative data. Qualitative Report, 21, 1549-1573.

Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol21/iss9/1

126

Wilson, E., Kenny, A., & Dickson-Swift, V. (2018). Ethical challenges in community-

based participatory research: A scoping review. Qualitative Health Research, 28,

189-199. doi:10.1177/1049732317690721

Wilson, P., Valera, P., Martos, A., Wittlin, N., Munoz-Laboy, M. A., & Parker, R. G.

(2016). Contributions of qualitative research in informing HIV/AIDS

interventions targeting black MSM in the United States. The Journal of Sex

Research, 53, 642-654. doi:10.1080/00224499.2015.1016139

Winch, G., & Leiringer, R. (2016). Owner project capabilities for infrastructure

development: A review and development of the “strong owner” concept.

International Journal of Project Management, 34, 271-281.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.02.002

Windapo, A. O., Oyewobi, L., & Zwane, Z. (2014). Investigation of stakeholders’

awareness and adoption of inherently safer design (ISD) principles in South

African utility industry projects. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process

Industries, 32, 152-160. doi:10.1016/j.jlp.2014.08.006

Worren, N. (2017). The matrix as a transitory form: The evolution of FMC technologies.

Journal of Organization Design, 6(13), 1-14. doi:10.1186/s41469-017-0023-0

Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective project management: Traditional, agile, extreme (7th

ed.). Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley & Sons.

Xia, H., Dawande, M., & Mookerjee, V. (2016). Optimal coordination in distributed

software development. Production & Operations Management, 25, 56-76.

doi:10.1111/poms.12408

127

Yalegama, S., Chileshe, N., & Ma, T. (2016). Critical success factors for community-

driven development projects. A Sri Lankan community perspective. International

Journal of Project Management, 34, 643-659.

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.02.006

Yin, R. K. (2017). Case study research design and methods. Thousand Oaks, California:

Sage Publications.

Zhang, Y., & Zuo, F. (2016). Selection of risk response actions considering risk

dependency. Kybernetes, 45, 1652-1667. doi:10.1108/K-05-2016-0096

Zickert, F., & Beck, R. (2012). Coping with existing systems in information systems

development. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 38, 1027-1039.

doi:10.1109/TSE.2011.89

Zou, Y., Kiviniemi, A., & Jones, S. (2016). Developing a tailored RBS linking to BIM

for risk management of bridge projects. Engineering, Construction and

Architectural Management, 23, 727-750. doi:10.1108/ECAM-01-2016-0009

Zuofa, T., & Ochieng, E. G. (2017). Working separately but together: Appraising virtual

project team challenges. Team Performance Management, 23, 227-242.

doi:10.1108/TPM-06-2016-0030

BUSI 414 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY - Key Strategies for Successful Information Technology Project.pdf

Students also viewed