Failure Of Development Projects Research Articles

Agile software development projects–Unveiling the human-related critical success factors

ContextInvestment in information technology is associated with better business performance when its implementation is successful, but it has high costs in case of failure, especially for large software development projects, which typically have the highest failure rates. Agile methodologies emerged with the expectation of reducing the risk of software development project failure. ObjectiveThis research aims to answer the following question: What are the human-related critical success factors for agile software development projects to succeed? The research model comprises four explanatory variables (team capability, customer involvement, psychological safety, and team autonomy) and one dependent variable (success of agile software development projects). MethodA questionnaire-based survey was carried out, resulting in 177 valid responses. A Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis was performed to test the theoretical model. ResultsThe findings indicate that team capability and customer involvement have the strongest effects on the success of agile software development projects. The results also show that psychological safety is a significant indirect success factor and that team autonomy appears to have a competing dynamic with psychological safety on the other two factors. ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the direct impact of psychological safety and its indirect effect, mediated by team capability and customer involvement, on the success of agile software development projects. The mediation, moderation, and direct effects are studied, offering theoretical and practical insights.

Identification of the successes and failures of conservation and rural development projects in Los Aletones and La Pradera, in the mountain range sector of the municipality of Belén de Los Andaquíes, Caquetá. In a five-year retrospective

Identification of the successes and failures of conservation and rural development projects in Los Aletones and La Pradera, in the mountain range sector of the municipality of Belén de Los Andaquíes, Caquetá. In a five-year retrospective

Factor Contributing to Unsuccessful Customary Land Development in Sabah: Lesson for Sustainable Solution.

Customary land is a valuable resource that holds significant importance for indigenous communities and society. Development of this land can play a significant role in promoting economic growth. Unfortunately, many of the development project planned on this region have fail to achieve sustainable development objective which led to rejection from the indigenous peoples. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the factors that contribute to the failure of development projects on customary land. This paper serves as a preliminary study on the village along the Ulu Papar River. A qualitative method of in-depth interview was carried out involving 50 respondents comprising the villagers. The results indicate that inadequate community consultation and limited local participation to be the main factor behind the issues. The results of this study showed that there are three possible reason i) the absence of cultural priority guidelines; ii) the absence of clear development procedures; iii) lack of opportunities and involvement of indigenous peoples in government development programs. By understanding these factors, valuable lessons can be learned to guide future endeavours and promote sustainable solutions. Ultimately, this research highlights the importance of understanding the unique cultural and social context of customary land to design effective sustainable development project.

To learn or not to learn from new product development project failure: The roles of failure experience and error orientation

New product development (NPD) project leaders' learning varies after experiencing project failure, as not all failure experience equally promotes learning and not all project leaders equally learn from failure. Drawing on the sensemaking and error management perspectives, this study focuses on two research questions: to what extent does project failure experience (i.e., the percentage of project failures in the overall project portfolio managed by a project leader and the time elapsed since last project failure) affect NPD project leaders' learning from failure? To what extent does a project leader's error orientation (i.e., error competence and error strain) moderate the effect of project failure experience on NPD project leaders' learning from failure? Based on survey responses collected at two distinct time points from 237 NPD project leaders in high-tech ventures, our results show that the percentage of project failures negatively affects learning from failure, and their negative relationship is weakened as error competence increases. In contrast, the time since project failure positively affects learning from failure, and their positive relationship is weakened as error strain increases. Our findings emphasize that a simplistic approach to learning from failure fails to uncover the transformative mechanisms involved in turning failure into learning in the NPD process. Instead, we suggest a customized approach to comprehending how project leaders can capitalize on project failure considering their failure experience and error orientation to learn from NPD project failure.

REWARDING AND SUCCESS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

The purpose of the research is to determine the causes of failure of information systems development projects. We came to the hypothesis that rewarding can improve the success of information systems development projects. For this reason, it is suggested that employment contracts be tied to business results. Extrinsic and intrinsic rewards are a good motivator that affects the improvement of employee performance, i.e. increases productivity, business results and job satisfaction and contributes to increasing the success of information systems development projects. Designers and managers of information systems development projects who participated in the research, gave their views on the impact of rewards on the success of the information systems development project in response to survey questions. The attitudes were evaluated on a five-point Likert scales. We obtained additional data based on conversations with managers and designers who deal with the development of information systems. Through the research design, we determined an independent variable related to the employment contract based on business results, which is the basis for the application of various forms of remuneration, and a dependent variable related to the success of the information systems development project. The main findings of the research are related to the definition of the contract between the owner on the one hand and managers and designers on the other hand, which solves the problems of opportunistic behavior of managers and designers of information systems development project. In addition, the factors of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that are most often used to motivate managers and designers of information systems development are defined. The practical implications of the research refer to the benefits that the company owner, managers and designers of the information systems development will have. They will receive the best model of employment contract for employees working on the development of an information systems project. In addition, they will receive information about the views of designers and project managers related to reward factors that improve the success of the information systems development project. The originality of the research refers to the creation of a model that links the work contract based on business results with reward factors that help to increase the success of the information systems development project.

Stakeholder perceptions on causes and effects of public project failures in Ghana

Factors responsible for the failure of most development projects are multifaceted. This study focused on unearthing the causes and effects of public project failure from the perspective of project stakeholders. Sixty stakeholders working on different public projects in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana completed a questionnaire. This study found that major causes of project failure were related to corruption, payment delays, procurement processes, planning, monitoring, bureaucracy, communication, and supervision. The perceived effects of project failure included revenue loss, discouraged investment, and unemployment. Project failure increased the initial cost of projects, impacted economic growth, led to the provision of substandard infrastructure and service relocation. Other effects of project failure were loss of capacity for public projects and emotional stress experienced by project stakeholders. The government of Ghana should adopt strategies to overcome corruption, bureaucracy, and unnecessary political influence. Finally, the government should cooperate with relevant stakeholders to implement measures geared towards improving the current system for procurement, supervision, monitoring, planning, and management practices.

Factors leading to failures of infrastructure development projects in Pakistan: A systematic literature review

Public sector development projects are found to have poor repute in terms of completion within assigned cost and time. Almost every 2nd project is impacted by financial burdens and time delays. The aim of this literature review is to highlight the potential factors that impact the completion time and estimated cost with respect to public sector infrastructure development projects in Pakistan. 39 sub-factors have been identified from 32 existing research which are then classified into 8 main factors. The main factors include administrative issues, improper financial plans, market risks, input cost estimates, poor corporate governance, legal issues, technical matters errors, and environmental issues. The results of this systematic literature review will provide policymakers with oversight on how to formulate effective strategies regarding cost cutting and timely execution of the infrastructure development projects in Pakistan.

Syndicated leadership in urban development projects: the case of the River City Gothenburg project

Large-scale urban development projects are complex economic and politically shaped activities, and such projects have oftentimes proved to be more costly and demanding more time to complete than is frequently being stipulated from the outset. Based on these conditions, urban development projects demand effective cross-organizational collaborations to optimize the use of available expertise, the capacity to process data and information, and to optimize public interests (being monitored by democratically elected entities in democratic societies). Based on a study of a major urban development project in Gothenburg, Sweden, this article introduces the concept of syndicated leadership, derived from the concept of syndicated investment in the venture capital industry. Syndicated leadership is based on the centralization of decision-making authority and resource allocation to a team of leaders, each representing (in the case examined) a private corporation, a municipality corporation, or a municipality agency having specific responsibilities in the shared urban development project, but also being dependent on the capacity to coordinate and align project activities. As the case indicates, syndicated leadership demands new expertise and communicative capacities and political skills, but when implemented effectively, it holds the promise of avoiding costly and embarrassing urban development project failures as it makes better use of the expertise of the participant organizations and better accommodate public interests.

Relationship between Interpersonal Skills in Project Success

The most asset to any project, regardless of the industry is the project manager. Research has shown whether the project fails or succeeds depends on the project manager, and the skills they bring to the table. The research problem in this study is the lack of research regarding the relationship between the interpersonal skills of the project manager and the success and / or failure of large-scale IT systems development projects. The existing literature indicated a strong positive relationship between the interpersonal skills and leadership traits of senior managers who manage with a passive leadership style and the primary IT systems development project success factor of cost. There was also a strong positive relationship between the interpersonal skills and leadership traits of senior managers who manage with leadership outcomes and the primary IT systems development project success factor of scheduling.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PROCEDURES FOR VERIFICATION OF THE STATE OF RELIABILITY OF CONTRACTORS IN THE MODEL OF ADMINISTRATION OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

The article outlines the areas of improvement of existing approaches and analytical technologies for identifying the state of the microenvironment of the construction project and its leading participants. The theoretical basis for the functioning of development as an innovation and investment infrastructure of the construction complex is highlighted. The relevance of determining the success potential of the management decision and the success potential of the investment and construction project development is substantiated. Factors and risks that contribute to the failure of development projects in the construction industry are reflected. The results of the work allow top management of contractors to effectively monitor, structure and maneuver the assets of contractors in the process of their operations, provide a reasonable opportunity to adjust the economic strategy and parameters of the production portfolio of construction companies. The substantiation of the content of the leading functions of the "organizational structure" as a temporary enterprise for the organization of construction and development of DBP type (construction project developer) includes: management of logistics, preparation and construction processes, ensuring the transformation of resources of the customer and its institutional partners; coordination and administrative-regulatory function, which is to ensure communications and institutional and organizational design of relations between institutional participants and executors of the project in the form of agreements, contracts and a functioning directorate for project administration; directing the development system and organizational structure of management to timely identify threats to the progress of preparation and construction of facilities. The adaptive methodology of organizational and technological development of the project cycle and its administration by a temporary development company is justified in such a way as to adjust the content of business processes in the middle of the structure to the essence of tasks and work life cycle. The methodology harmonizes the requirements and methodological approaches of the development system in construction with the requirements and standards set by the Project Management Institute, which includes the inclusion of tools for construction, in addition to BIM-modules, and special visual components - "sensitivity maps".

Evaluation of Product Development Success: A Student Perspective

The time pressure on new product development under unpredictable conditions requires the renewal of the project management approach that suggests the prominent role of project managerial competencies in achieving project success. Project management education must be adjusted to understand students’ opinions in the field. The study uses a survey among Hungarian engineering, business, and IT higher education students. The analysis aims to explore opinions about the main barriers to successful product development projects, and the expected ways of regulating the project by ANOVA and principal component analysis. The responses of 126 students confirm the appreciation of management competencies. Gaps in team composition, inadequate communication, common changes in the plans, and the lack of experience in similar development tasks are considered to be the main contributors to product development project failures. Collaboration and competition with external partners were found to be less essential factors. Students believe that regulation of the work is necessary, but the project team should be trusted to establish it. Beyond developing the curricula, the experience of this study can promote the successful execution of collaborative projects between companies and higher education institutions. It can establish expected student competencies to quickly become effective project team members.

The Effect of Complexity and Work Motivation on The Performance of Minor Change-Scale Product Development Projects In Automotive Manufacturing Industry

The increasing market competition in the Indonesian automotive manufacturing industry requires automotive manufacturing companies to adapt to changes through product development activities. Unfortunately, failure in product development projects is still high. One of the possible key factors of a successful product development project is work motivation. Another factor that is suspected to affect is the complexity of the project. Therefore, this study aims to find the effect of work motivation and project complexity on product development project performance. The research was conducted on 94 members of product development project team in Indonesian automotive manufacturing industry with a minor change scale using purposive sampling. Data was collected through online questionnaire with a response rate of 65.7% and then analyzed using PLS - SEM. The results of the study showed that project complexity had a positive effect on work motivation and otherwise on project performance. On the other hand, it turns out that work motivation is not proven to affect the performance of product development projects in the automotive manufacturing industry in Indonesia.

An investigation into the factors causing international development project failure in developing countries: Focus on Afghanistan

This study aims to identify and evaluate the perception of major stakeholders on factors causing International Development Project (IDP) failure in the context of Afghanistan. The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional survey research design. Thirty significant IDP failure factors included in the questionnaire were identified and shortlisted through literature reviews and validated by experts and IDP management practitioners. The survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire to investigate the most significant IDP failure factors, and various statistical tools were employed to evaluate the perception of the survey respondents. RII was used to examine the relative importance index of each failure factor. The failure factors were then grouped into five categories: Financial constraints, Ineffective recruitment, External forces, Project leadership, and Project management practices using EFA. The findings of the study will help the international development community and their IDP implementing partners, INGs and project management practitioners manage IDPs proactively and mitigate the risks of project failure. It will also contribute to the IDP management body of knowledge. The research is the first of its kind to examine the possible factors causing IDP failure in Afghanistan.

Pengembangan Aplikasi People Management dalam Software Development dengan Pendekatan Project Management Antipatterns

Faktor manusia dalam proses pengembangan perangkat lunak menjadi salah satu penentu keberhasilan suatu proyek, terlepas dari teknologi dan tools yang digunakan. Dalam praktiknya, banyak project manager tidak memiliki dataset mengenai hard skill dan soft skill anggotanya. Hal ini mengantarkan tim proyek pengembangan perangkat lunak terjebak dalam situasi antipatterns irrational management. Berdasarkan beberapa faktor utama penyebab kegagalan proyek pengembangan perangkat lunak, diperlukan adanya suatu mitigation plan yang dapat membantu project manager dalam melakukan manajemen sumber daya manusia dalam sebuah tim. Mitigation plan yang dapat dilakukan adalah dengan mengembangkan aplikasi people management yang didasarkan pada prinsip-prinsip Project Management Antipatterns. Makalah ini mengajukan suatu pemodelan baru dalam bentuk aplikasi untuk melakukan people management di dalam pengembangan perangkat lunak dengan pendekatan Project Management Antipatterns. Penelitian ini mengajukan suatu pemodelan baru dalam bentuk aplikasi untuk melakukan people management di dalam pengembangan perangkat lunak dengan pendekatan Project Management Antipatterns. Hasil yang diberikan berupa pemetaan tim developer kepada task yang relevan berdasarkan hard skill dan soft skill yang dimiliki. Selain itu, aplikasi ini juga memberikan hasil berupa rekomendasi treatment yang bisa dilakukan terhadap tim untuk meningkatkan produktivitas serta mengurangi potensi risiko yang ditimbulkan dari hasil diagnosis praktik yang buruk. Pendekatan yang digunakan terbukti mampu meningkatkan produktivitas tim secara keseluruhan. Refactored solution yang direkomendasikan juga terbukti efektif menurunkan nilai antipatterns dari satu sprint ke sprint berikutnya.

Review and critique of the information systems development project failure literature: An argument for exploring information systems development project distress

High failure rates of information systems development (ISD) projects continue to trouble organizations and information systems practices. Such a state of affairs has been of great concern for the information systems discipline for decades, motivating information systems researchers to focus on and extensively study ISD project failure. However, the increasing complexity and uncertainty of ISD projects and contemporary system development processes are challenging ISD project failure scholarship. In this article, we ask the questions: What are the contributions and weaknesses of the extant ISD project failure/success literature? What are potential avenues to move the ISD literature forward? To answer these questions, first, we present a literature review that assesses research contributions within the major perspectives on ISD failure (i.e. rationalist, process and narrative). While the extant research within all perspectives make significant contributions to knowledge, we find that researchers remain preoccupied with ‘project failure’ as an end state of an ISD project. They pay little attention to problematic situations arising during ISD projects before they become failed projects. Based on the review and critique of the literature, we then argue that there is a significant benefit in extending research focus from ISD project failure to ‘ISD project distress’, which we define as a harmful project condition involving dynamic and fluid constellation of critical problems that are difficult to identify, understand and resolve. While ISD project distress is an increasingly perilous and consequential phenomenon, little is known about its nature and potential responses. Drawing from the sensemaking literature, we propose a multilevel theoretical framework for understanding the nature and sources of ISD project distress that provides a foundation for exploring early detection and timely response. We demonstrate the theoretical and practical relevance of the concept of ISD project distress and propose a corresponding research agenda.

A reference model-based user requirements elicitation process: Toward operational business-IT alignment in a co-creation value network

Abstract Context To improve operational business-IT alignment (BITA), the development of IT-based systems should be derived from business requirements. However, the requirements elicitation process is challenging and encounters several problems which might lead to acquiring low-quality user requirements and failure of systems development projects. Many of elicitation problems are also identified as being relevant in the BITA literature. We focus on one category of well-known elicitation problems, such as communication flaws. Until now, the majority of requirements elicitation studies with the aim of addressing operational BITA are based on an asking strategy. This elicitation strategy is suitable for relatively stable situations. To compensate for the limitation of this strategy in a more complex situation, e.g., a co-creation value network (VN) setting, using it in conjunction with other elicitation strategies is more likely to yield satisfactory results. Objective To contribute to operational BITA improvement in a VN setting by addressing one category of elicitation problems. For this purpose, we design and evaluate a reference model-based approach to facilitate the user requirements elicitation process. Method Two-phase research according to the design science approach is followed. In the design phase, a reference model-based user requirements elicitation process is designed. Also, as a proof of concept, two instances of this artifact are designed. Two reference models, respectively, describing customer knowledge management processes and customer knowledge management challenges in a VN setting are used separately in designing these two instances. In the evaluation phase, the applicability and usefulness of these instances are evaluated in two separate studies. Results A reference model supports asking-based user requirements elicitation process via a Delphi method in a complex context of a VN. It improves the user requirements elicitation process by addressing a set of recognized elicitation problems. Conclusions The reference model-based approach, by addressing the elicitation problems, contributes to user requirements elicitation process improvement in general and to a better operational BITA in the complex situation of a VN in particular.

Analisis Tata Kelola Dan Perencanaan Investasi Teknologi Informasi Dengan Metode Cobit Dan Val It

Abstract - IT Governance and the development of appropriate information technology, aligned with business strategy and in accordance with the target is a priority, but often development projects are not expected to match the even, there are many information technology development project failure or canceled in the middle of the road. That's because information technology governance and IT investment planning are not good. It is necessary to analysis IT governenace and planning of IT investment. The selected sample is PT. Candi Malindo Bangkit with five (5) respondents involved. Tools in this study using the COBIT framework for data and opinions about IT governance and Val IT for IT investment planning. The selected domain from the COBIT framework are DS4 (continuous service), DS5 (information system security) and DS11 (data management), and the domain of Val IT are Value Governance (VG), Portfolio Management (PM) and Investment Management (IM) . Then based on the analysis can be known maturity level of IT governance and IT investment planning. The analysis shows that the current PT. Candi Malindo Bangkit still at maturity level 1 (one) or at the level of the initial/Adhoc which means IT governance and IT investment planning has been no standardization process, yet organized and implemented based on the needs of a sudden.Keywords: Audit, IT Governance, COBIT, Val IT

Social capital in rural development projects in Europe – Three LEADER cases in Wallonia analysed

This article investigates the role in practice of social capital in the success and perennity of European rural development projects, taking three Walloon LEADER projects as case studies. In the context of rural areas, that carry innate characteristics – proximity, sense of community – social capital is expected to play an important role in the success or failure of development projects. Yet, in theory, social capital is mentioned by the European Commission only when referring to outputs of the approach, never as an input. By investigating three LEADER projects that were developed between 2007 and 2013 in Wallonia through qualitative analysis, from the conception of the Local Development Strategy to the current situation of projects – more than 5 years after the end of funding – we confirmed the significance of trust as a lever for development, highlighted the importance of human capital and discussed the relevance of project time-scales.

A moral atmosphere of development as a share: Consequences for urban development in Indonesia

Corruption is a social preoccupation in Indonesia, receiving as much attention in the media as it does in journals such as World Development. The consequences of this preoccupation have escaped the attention of scholars however, a lacuna that this article addresses. Through ethnographic research of sites of state-led welfare and community driven development in Medan, Indonesia, I trace the emergence of a moral logic characterised by bagi-bagi, or development as a share. National anti-corruption discourses, lived experiences of petty corruption, and the failures of development projects to bring meaningful benefits encourage various stakeholders to manoeuvre to get a share, or take their part from the resources that flow from the state. The impact of this logic exceed its practices, however. I advance the concept of moral atmosphere to reveal the emotional and affective consequences, the ways the ever-present possibility of bagi-bagi permeates development encounters and marks individuals as objects of suspicion. Through the empirical material, I demonstrate the ways the moral atmosphere of bagi-bagi influences subjectivities, social relations, and the distribution of resources, and hence the importance of examining it as an element of the development arena.

Oil, Revolution, and Indigenous Citizenship in Ecuadorian Amazonia by Flora Lu, Gabriela Valdivia, and Néstor L. Silva

Reviewed by: Oil, Revolution, and Indigenous Citizenship in Ecuadorian Amazonia by Flora Lu, Gabriela Valdivia, and Néstor L. Silva Michael Cepek Flora Lu, Gabriela Valdivia, and Néstor L. Silva Oil, Revolution, and Indigenous Citizenship in Ecuadorian Amazonia New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2017. xvii + 296 pp. References, index, illustrations. $89.00 electronic (ISBN 978–1–137–53362–3), $119.99 cloth (ISBN 978–1–137–56462–7). Oil, revolution, and indigenous Citizenship in Ecuadorian Amazonia is a unique work on an important topic: the relationship between a marginalized indigenous people (the Waorani of Amazonian Ecuador), one of Latin America’s most celebrated “New Left” administrations (the Ecuadorian state under Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017), and the socio-ecological complexities of life within an oil-based political economy. Flora Lu, Gabriela Valdivia, and Néstor L. Silva take the reader on a detailed tour of Ecuador under the Correa regime. In doing so, they produce a comprehensive account of what Ecuador’s experiment with “21st-Century socialism” has meant for some of country’s most vulnerable citizens. Although much of the book focuses on the experiences of an indigenous people, it is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort rather than a conventional ethnography: Lu was trained in ecology, Valdivia teaches geography, and Silva is completing his doctorate in anthropology. In the introduction, the authors state that the book traverses a variety of “geographic and social scales to integrate information from multiple sources and perspectives: scholarship, media accounts, as well as ethnographic research” (4). In doing so, it challenges any simplistic context/topic distinction; each chapter includes detailed discussions of national policy, political shifts within and beyond Ecuador, and the particulars of the Waorani experience. The authors state that the first half of the book views “Amazonia from Quito” by describing the history of Ecuadorian indigenous citizenship (Chapter 2), shifts in oil policy (Chapter 3), and Correa’s battle against poverty through his so-called “Citizens’ Revolution” (Chapter 4). The second half views “Quito from Amazonia” by privileging a more Waorani-focused perspective on the risks of petroleum-based development (Chapter 5), a failed government proposal to exchange untapped oil for international dollars (Chapter [End Page 283] 6), and the complex responses to encounters with the Taromenane, a Waorani-related group who live in voluntary isolation (Chapter 7). The central argument of the book is that despite the Correa administration’s stated objective of making environmental conservation, human rights, and socioeconomic equality national priorities, the government’s continued reliance on natural resource extraction risked “repeating and deepening cycles of poverty and marginalization,” thereby perpetuating and even exacerbating “socio-ecological conflict” (23–24). Lu, Valdivia, and Silva assert that Correa’s progressive programs depended on oil rents, making the Citizens’ Revolution “the state-led response to state-caused problems, a political project funded by the very same practices it seeks to challenge” (93). In short, the authors allege, Correa’s administration represented no radical break from past political-economic models and in some ways made life even worse for such citizens as the Waorani. Oil, Revolution, and Indigenous Citizenship in Ecuadorian Amazonia has many strengths. It contains one of the most thorough accounts of Ecuadorian politics and economics in the new millennium. The overview of Correa’s vision is extensive and accurate. The discussion of the programs of the Citizens’ Revolution is an important resource for any scholar of Ecuador. I wish I had access to it while writing my own book on oil in Amazonian Ecuador (Cepek 2018), as I was often perplexed by many Correa-era institutions that directly affected my subjects. The authors also employ a mixed-methods approach that includes household economic analysis and risk-mapping—techniques that are absent from most cultural-anthropological accounts. The quantitative data are accompanied by reflections on important social and political theorists, including Giorgio Agamben, Judith Butler, Antonio Gramsci, and Donna Haraway. Finally, Lu, Valdivia, and Silva enliven their study with telling vignettes concerning Correa’s television and radio program, the sometimes-tragic failures of development projects, and the authors’ own reception by Waorani communities. The book also has qualities that some scholars might consider weaknesses. Apart from the more descriptive episodes...