Haiko van der Voort

Failure of large transformation projects from the viewpoint of complex adaptive systems: Management principles for dealing with project dynamics

Many large transformation projects do not result in the outcomes desired or envisioned by the stakeholders. This type of project is characterised by dynamics which are both caused by and result of uncertainties and unexpected behaviour. In this paper a complex adaptive system (CAS) view was adopted in order to better understand project dynamics and identify management principles for dealing with them. A case study of a large transformation project in the Netherlands was carried out, in which six patterns were found through which project dynamics could be identified. A logical consequence of the immense complexity of the case study’s project dynamics was that stakeholders lost sight of the overall goals, focussed on managing incidents and approached the project in an ad hoc way. Informed by CAS theory, we present seven management principles that respect the dynamics of this type of project and can aid in coping with project dynamics.

Management and Failure of Large Transformation Projects: Factors Affecting User Adoption

Transformational e-government (t-government) aims to realize public sector reform. Yet many of the large transformation projects have not resulted in the desired outcomes, as stakeholders did not adopt the results of the projects. These projects are characterized by a large number of stakeholders, many uncertainties and complexities. Although there is a vast amount of literature available on project failure and despite its importance of this topic, little is known about factors influencing the adoption of large transformation projects by stakeholders. In this paper factors influencing and delaying the adoption of a large transformation project are identified. Adoption is hindered by a combination of factors originating from the complexity and uncertainties in combination with too high ambition levels and the neglecting existing realities. During the transformation process the focus on the users was lost and shifted towards an internal orientation.

Antecedents of big data quality: An empirical examination in financial service organizations

Big data has been acknowledged for its enormous potential. In contrast to the potential, in a recent survey more than half of financial service organizations reported that big data has not delivered the expected value. One of the main reasons for this is related to data quality. The objective of this research is to identify the antecedents of big data quality in financial institutions. This will help to understand how data quality from big data analysis can be improved. For this, a literature review was performed and data was collected using three case studies, followed by content analysis. The overall findings indicate that there are no fundamentally new data quality issues in big data projects. Nevertheless, the complexity of the issues is higher, which makes it harder to assess and attain data quality in big data projects compared to the traditional projects. Ten antecedents of big data quality were identified encompassing data, technology, people, process and procedure, organization, and external aspects.

POTENTIALS AND RISKS OF BENCHMARKING

This article aims to explore some potentials and risks of benchmarking in environmental assessment. The dominant image derived from theory and empirical data is that benchmark tests tend to be based on quantitative measures, which, under certain conditions, produces perverse effects and bureaucracy. The answer to the central question — Can benchmarks be useful in environmental assessment? — is affirmative. The problem, however, is that due to an inherent characteristic of environmental issues, using quantitative measures will create perverse effects and bureaucracy thus reducing their effectiveness. This article proposes the formulation of rules of the game to increase the effectiveness of benchmarking. These rules are mutual agreements that regulate for instance who are allowed to use and interpret the figures.

Competing Values in the Management of Innovative Projects: The Case of the RandstadRail Project

Large engineering projects without late delivery, cost overruns or technical problems seem to be rare (Flyvbjerg et al., 2003). Illustrations of this statement are abundant worldwide (e.g. the French Superphenix project, the German Transrapid project, the Channel Tunnel, Denver International Airport, Boston’s Central Artery Tunnel (Dempsey et al., 1997; Bell, 1998; Altshuler and Luberoff, 2003; Flyvbjerg et al., 2003). The political and societal environments of these projects all ask for safe delivery on time and within a budget. A variety of project management tools have been developed to meet such expectations. However, these projects also have innovative elements, providing situations that implementers (e.g. managers, engineers, operators) of the projects have not met before. These elements require room for improvisation and interaction between implementers, which most project management tools typically do not provide.

Measuring measures: introducing performance measurement in the Dutch health care sector

The Dutch government has sought to increase transparency in the performance of medical institutions. For hospitals this has presented three challenges for performance measures, each related to gaining authority and support from all those (public and private) bodies already involved in quality assurance. The experience raises issues about the speed of implementation, scope, burden and impact on hospital image of performance measurement regimes. It also suggests a tension between market-based and other mechanisms used to ensure quality.

Regulatory Compliance and Over-Compliant Information Sharing – Changes in the B2G Landscape

Business-to-government information exchange has over the past decades greatly benefited from data exchange standards and inter-organisational systems. The data era enables a new shift in the type of information sharing; from formal reporting to opening up full (and big) data sets. This enables new analytics and insights by government, more effective and efficient compliance assessment, and other uses. The emphasis here shifts from establishing formats to deciding what information can be shared, under what conditions, and how to create added value. There are numerous initiatives that explore how to put data to better use for businesses, for government and for their interactions. However, there is limited attention to exactly how these new forms of extensive data sharing affects the supervision relationships. In this paper, we exploratively look across three research projects to identify the implications of information sharing beyond the regulatory requirements (‘over-compliant’). We find that the lack of attention to those implications lead to solutions that are hard to scale up and present unexpected consequences down the line, which may negatively impact the future willingness to explore new potential added value of data sharing.

The governance of cybersecurity: a framework for policy

Problems with information and network security have quickly moved up the political agenda. The current discussion on the governance of cybersecurity primarily focuses on technological measures and awareness raising. Although these certainly are important issues, the debate is lacking a framework to identify what role is appropriate for government. This paper provides a framework to assess what role, if any, government has regarding threats to information and network security.