Defining Intangible IS Project Products Using PRINCE2 Product Descriptions

Achievement of strategic organisational objectives is dependent on the development and management of an organisation’s tangibles and intangibles, with an increasing need for the improved management of intangibles. Therefore it can also be expected that there will be an increasing reliance on projects to deliver a combination of tangible and intangible outcomes (e.g. relationships, leadership, learning, leadership, culture/values, reputation and trust). An example being an Information System project conducted by a state government agency for which there were a combination of expected tangible and intangible project products, the former being able to be defined relatively easily using PRINCE2 project methodology Product Descriptions, but the latter posing quite a challenge to define in the same way. The challenge was partially met by an exploratory action research cycle conducted by the author working together with the government agency. The intangible project products were able to be defined and documented as PRINCE2 Product Descriptions albeit over too long a period of time to be practicable in a real-life situation. The paper provides a step-wise description of the action research cycle, including the final steps of reflection and replanning that redefine the action steps for use in future problem solving and research situations.