Contingency Model ( s ) of IS Project Management 1 ? par

Researchers in Organization Theory have suggested that the way an organization, business unit or department is managed should vary according to the uncertainty inherent in its environment. Similarly, several IS researchers have suggested that the way an IS development project is managed should depend on the risk or uncertainty of the project. However, the contingency relationships hypothesized in the IS literature remain largely unverified. This paper develops and tests a contingency model where it is hypothesized that the outcome of an IS development project (Project Performance) is influenced by the fit (Project Risk Fit) between the project’s risk (Project Risk Exposure) and how the project is managed (Project Management Practices). The latter was assessed with three constructs drawn from the Organization Theory literature: internal and external integration, formalization, and formal planning. Using a profile deviation perspective of fit, and data obtained from 75 IS projects, significant contingency effects were observed for three of the four success measures used: estimated vs. actual budget, estimated vs. actual time to complete project, and system quality according to project leader. Interestingly, a different contingency relationship was observed for the fourth measure of project success, user information satisfaction. These results suggest that two different contingency models may be at work in IS project contexts, and that both models need to be considered for a thorough understanding of project management.