Why Do Organizations Expect Every Information Systems Project to be Successful?

Organizations expect Information Systems (IS) projects to be successful time and time again. This rather rigid set of expectations does not necessarily transfer to other departments and business processes. However, when it comes to IS projects, the expectations for success are almost universal. The fact that different stakeholders may have different definitions of what “success” means only compounds the problem. Perhaps due to the perceived engineering aspects of IS projects – that arguably accept a more structured treatment – success simply cannot escape, or so it seems. The study relies on a grounded theory approach to advance a theory of, and provide an explanation for, the expectations of IS project success within organizations. This study found that more often than not high expectations for IS project success stem from intrinsic personal factors.