Ladder to success – eliciting project managers’ perceptions of IS project success criteria

Authors

  • Oleg Pankratz University of Cologne
  • Dirk Basten University of Cologne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12821/ijispm020201

Keywords:

information systems, project success criteria, project management, Repertory Grid, laddering

Abstract

The traditional approach to assess information system (IS) project success is adherence to planning (ATP) – meeting budget, schedule, and requirements targets. Today, scholars agree that ATP is insufficient to adequately assess IS project success, but an agreed-on set of success criteria is still missing. Many works on this topic are based on theoretical considerations rather than empirical inquiries. We analyze practitioners’ subjective perspectives by investigating what criteria IS project managers consider relevant for IS project success assessment. We interview eleven experienced project managers in Germany, applying Repertory Grid and Laddering to minimize potential biases. Our results yield eight success criteria, indicating that criteria like process efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction must be considered in addition to ATP. Scholars can use our findings to apply the identified success criteria in future studies. Practitioners gain insights into the expert perspective on project success and might rethink the way of assessing success in their projects.

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Published

2022-02-18

How to Cite

Pankratz, O., & Basten, D. (2022). Ladder to success – eliciting project managers’ perceptions of IS project success criteria. International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management, 2(2), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.12821/ijispm020201

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Section

Articles