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Managing information technology (IT) projects is a complex endeavor since it often requires one to master sophisticated practices and advanced techniques, and to grasp complex organizational dynamics. These are important considerations that are sometimes difficult to teach to project management (PM) students and young professionals. With these issues in mind, this study discusses a simulation-based training we designed to allow learners to experience the challenges of managing IT projects in a multi-project remote environment. Building on self-determination theory, the study develops a theoretical model highlighting the role of well-being and optimal functioning in shaping the outcomes of one's involvement in the simulation. The preliminary results of an initial survey are also presented. We expect this research to contribute to both theory and practice, as it emphasizes the value of considering the well-being of learners to achieve desirable learning outcomes, and it spells out important guidelines to developing stimulating simulation-based trainings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a digital world in which firms struggle with digital transformation, moving beyond the mere introduction of technologies to leveraging their transformational potential becomes increasingly relevant. Technochange, i.e., the strategic use of IT to derive organizational benefits by integrating IT introduction and complementary organizational changes, presents a promising approach in the context of digital transformation. Yet for the IT function, conducting technochange requires a fundamental change in the way IT work is done. Despite previous research that addresses the particularities of technochange, no research has been conducted on the challenges faced when IT projects transition after applying a TC approach and on strategies to overcome them. In answering this question, we apply sociotechnical systems theory as a conceptual research lens to study the transition process of an IS infrastructure project in a mid-size omni-channel retailer. The results of our longitudinal in-depth case study suggest that this transition process is characterized by challenges of exported problems and structural issues that can be overcome by intervention strategies of bricolage, borrowing competence, and building alliances. Our research contributes to technochange literature by outlining the transition from IT to technochange projects and provides practical guidance on how to manage this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software project failure continues to be a concern and managing risk our best hope of project success. While IS literature has investigated the role of culture in projects, such cultural work is largely limited to the management of multinational project work and focused on ethnic or national identities and their impact on enterprise-level system development. Recently, information system researchers have begun to focus on how a user's identities--their internalization of cultural meaning--can affect adoption and use of technology, but identification with technology may also impact its development. This proposed study will examine the ways in which worker identification with the technological outcome of a project might affect risk behavior, and will include digital game development as a highly salient context. The results will inform both theory and practice, contributing to IT identity research as well as best practices for project and risk management in software development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projects in the field of Information Systems Development (ISD) are particularly prone to failure because they are complex in many respects. To increase success of ISD projects, researchers and practitioners usually recommend the implementation of control. The traditional view on control involves two parties: a controller executing control and one or more controllees being controlled. To better understand why control effectiveness has not significantly improved over the last decades, this paper gives a chronological overview of existing literature on ISD project control. We find that so far, research has been strongly focusing on controller related aspects such as the creation of control portfolios. This, however, neglects that the effectiveness of control is highly dependent on the controllees’ perception and willingness to actively commit to implemented controls. We argue that a more holistic understanding of the controllee perspective on control is needed and discuss implications for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clan control is an important factor for project success. A clan is a group with strong social capital. Hence, the implementation of social capital is a precondition for clan control and project success. However, for managers it is still a challenge to build and motivate clan control within IT projects, because people have different skills and backgrounds. Especially in rapid application development projects when new project methods or approaches like agile software development or DevOps are applied. Thus, we build up on existing research and explore how clan control can be built and leveraged within cross-functional DevOps teams. With the help of expert interviews with team leads and managers of different DevOps teams, we derived structural, cognitive and relational ties of social capital. Additionally, we present leverage factors from our data for social capital to facilitate clan control. Finally, we give implications how these factors can be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]