Abstract
Background: To address the low success rate in information system (IS) projects, organisations in South Africa are adopting agile implementation methodologies. Agile delivery environments advocate an iterative approach where autonomous, self-organising teams share project management (PM) activities. This encroaches on the traditional project manager role. Are project managers still relevant in agile delivery environments and how should they adapt?Objectives: This case study investigated how project managers could adapt to agile IS implementation environments to remain relevant. Specifically, the views of their key stakeholders (the management and implementation teams) were elicited to provide insights into what is expected from agile project managers.Method: A qualitative, inductive content analysis approach using purposive sampling was used to identify 13 participants (comprising management and implementation team members) within a large South African insurance company. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants.Results: The management and implementation teams agreed that PM remains highly relevant in an agile environment for ensuring project governance including delivery, risk management, reporting and budgeting. There was, however, disagreement between the management and implementation teams on project management interaction with the implementation team. Management preferred a command and control type project manager, while the implementation team favoured a more inclusive, facilitative PM style.Conclusion: To remain viable in an agile IS project implementation environment within large corporates, project managers need to be aware of what various stakeholders expect of them. They need to retain some of the classic PM functions while adapting to the interpersonal and collaborative requirements of the agile way.
Highlights
Information system (IS) development projects have a reputation for failure in terms of overrun in budget, timeliness and not meeting users’ expectations (Karleskey & Voord 2008; Savolainen, Ahonen & Richardson 2012; Yeo 2002)
It is more likely that large organisations employ both traditional and agile IS implementation practices in what is termed an ambidextrous approach (Vinekar, Slinkman & Nerur 2006), this duality presenting additional complex challenges to the project management (PM) role. Given these team-related and organisational challenges faced by project managers, the question arises: how should project managers adapt to fit into an agile implementation environment within large corporates? This research set out to explore this question by obtaining the perspectives of the following two important project stakeholders: the management team and the implementation team
Knowledge is created through the creation of software during IS implementation projects; IS project implementation success is low (Bailin 1997; Savolainen et al 2012; Shongwe 2015)
Summary
To address the low success rate in information system (IS) projects, organisations in South Africa are adopting agile implementation methodologies. Agile delivery environments advocate an iterative approach where autonomous, self-organising teams share project management (PM) activities. This encroaches on the traditional project manager role. Are project managers still relevant in agile delivery environments and how should they adapt?
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