Global boundaries, task processes and IS project success: a field study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to better understand how global boundaries affect global information system (IS) project success and which mediating process variables increase the chance of success.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature on IS success and global teams, an input‐process‐output framework is adopted to develop the research model for the study. This research is based on semi‐structured interviews with 22 global IS project managers. An attribution analysis is used to identify common themes and patterns of the interview results.FindingsGlobal IS project managers identified time separation and cultural differences as the most significant barriers to project success. Our findings suggest that effective teams were able to overcome these barriers to achieve success, but this success was achieved through the implementation of special coordination, communication and cognitive processes tailored to help teams overcome global barriers and through considerable additional cost and effort.Practical implicationsThis study furthers understanding of the global boundaries affecting global IS project success and the most effective processes that teams use to overcome global barriers.Originality/valueDespite the increasing attention to global IS work, there is limited understanding of why and how global IS projects succeed or fail. The present study, investigates not only how multiple global boundary variables (e.g. geographic dispersion, time separation, language differences, cultural differences, etc.) affect IS project success, but also which processes teams use to cope with the challenges presented by these global boundaries.