Constituents and their expectations : towards a critical-pragmatic theory of information systems project management

Abstract

This dissertation presents a theoretical model of information systems (IS) project management that aims to improve the rate of project success, estimated at time of writing to be less than 50% despite over thirty years of experience. The inquiry into IS managementand the development of the CED Model of IS Project Management presented in this dissertation were informed by critical social theory and pragmatics. IS projects are conceptualised as a collaborative undertaking by everyone affected by the project : the constituents. The model identifies the central role of constituents' expectations and their critical examination of the intended, desired and feared outcomes. By being based in the political, economic, technical and social dimensions of IS projects, this dissertation makes a theoretical contribution to the IS discipline. Furthermore, by establishing a set of prescriptions for how a project should be conducted by identifying who should take part (the constituents), how they should interact(engaging in the project discourse) and how the processes should be managed(driven by the constituents' expectations), the model provides guidance for IS practitioners to increase the likelihood of successfully implementing the project. From a research perspective, this dissertation presents an example of empirically grounded IS research, informed by critical-pragmatic theoretic concerns, that is highly relevant for IS practice.

Date of Award	2004
Original language	English