Investigating the Efficacy of Organizational Effectiveness Tools in IT Projects

The technology industry has received poor marks on its ability to deliver successful projects on time and on budget. According to Sribar & Passori [32], 72% of all IT projects are late, over budget, lack functionality, or are never delivered as planned. Varley [36] suggested that poor communications, unrealistic expectations, competing agendas, resistance to change, and lack of agreed upon metrics are key contributors to project failure. These issues are not the problems, but rather are symptomatic of poor project management discipline. The root cause of poor project management, according to Varley [36], is often attributable to poor project management techniques, ineffective project team structure (team risks), a lack of client (enduser) project participation, and unmanaged scope changes. Understandably, technology is most often not to blame for the project failure. Rather, it is the human and organizational dynamics that go awry during the implementation of a technology change. While there has been much speculation and limited research regarding the causes of project failure, there has not been much investigation regarding tools and techniques technical project managers can utilize to prevent (or minimize) the effects of these typical project pitfalls. This paper reports upon a qualitative action research investigation on the impact of Organizational Effectiveness (OE) tools in IT projects. The study was conducted in a graduate-level IT project management course offered at a major research university. The results of the research validate the efficacy of OE tools and behaviors in IT project management and consulting. The study measured the effectiveness of the OE approach, project time, team satisfaction, and client satisfaction on corporate technology projects. The paper identifies and elaborates upon a number of elements that affect project success. Organizational aspects of project management are explored and discussed. Utilizing a participatory action research model, the study found that organizational effectiveness tools make a significant difference in a variety of project management dimensions. Team effectiveness ratings were obtained from team members and external corporate raters. Results indicated a significant relationship between certain aspects of team effectiveness and the use of organizational effectiveness tools. The implications of this study may extend beyond the project management boundary and may be applicable to other group settings where managers attempt to effect organizational change.