Kim Johnston

A model of information systems development project performance

abstract. Performance in information systems development (ISD) projects can be critical to business success. But, while project performance has been the subject of much debate, there has been little empirical research into its determinants. A survey of IS projects in the UK and New Zealand is analysed to test hypotheses concerning performance in terms of both project completion and budget (time‐cost) variances. Subsequently, a secondary analysis of the findings is used to build a more complete empirical model of project performance. The paper helps to develop the theory of IS development project performance and also has significant implications for practice. Discussion of the findings highlights the importance of project team dynamics, risk management, senior management support for strategic projects and user participation in ensuring successful IS project performance.

Integrating information technology divisions in a bank merger Fit, compatibility and models of change

Abstract Effectively integrating the information technology (IT) divisions in mergers of large organisations can be critical to merger success. This paper analyses a case study of IT integration in a merger of two large Australian banks, and argues that an understanding of organisational and strategic fit at the level of the IT organisation can contribute to effective management of IT integration. The paper explores the fit within and between two organisational configurations of IT, and the dynamics of their integration. We discuss the contingencies underlying use of different models of IT integration, and suggest that ‘best of breed’ prescriptions may be inappropriate when the IT configurations of merging organisations are incompatible. In which case, an ‘absorption’ strategy can simplify a multi-dimensional misfit and reduce integration complexity.

Where Project Managers are Kings

Australian construction projects today are usually more successful than information technology (IT) projects. One reason lies in the way construction companies manage project management. Based on in-depth research of four successful construction companies, this paper describes a project management-centered organizational form. It describes the organizational and management arrangements that support project performance and the individual and organizational capabilities that underpin sustained project success. This particular form of organization is shown to be stable and effective because its constituent arrangements are logically consistent and mutually reinforcing. The authors show how many of these arrangements can be adopted by IT service firms and in-house IT organizations to improve their performance on projects.

Competing forms of fit in a professional bureaucracy: IT management dilemmas

Organisational and role conflicts within a large Australian public hospital are examined, with a focus on information technology (IT) management issues. Two different fit configurations, similar to Mintzbergs professional and machine bureaucracies, are found to compete for dominance in the hospital, each with different design corequisites, and requiring incompatible forms of IT management. The paper highlights IT management dilemmas experienced by many health systems facing extreme budgetary pressures and conflicting priorities. Rather than attempting to resolve symptoms within individual functions, the underlying dynamics of the problem are analysed at the level of competing organisational configurations, and the outline of a possible integrative solution is discussed.

Reengineering the Supply Chain Using Collaborative Technology: Opportunities and Barriers to Change in the Building and Construction Industry

Inter-organizational collaborative technologies provide potential competitive benefits based on time and cost advantages and value addition, especially when combined with supply chain reengineering. The building and construction industry would appear to be an ideal candidate for such IT-enabled reengineering because operations and project delivery are primarily organized around networks of collaborating organizations. This qualitative study of the Australian building and construction industry, however, finds a very low level of IT adoption. In explaining this phenomenon, we identify industry-level conditions as important factors influencing the low level of IT-based collaboration and suggest industry-level interventions which could stimulate both IT adoption and associated supply chain reengineering.

Strategic change and information technology (abstract): simplification and integration across the value chain

Attempts to gain strategic alignment of IT strategy with business strategy have usually involved fitting IT management into an established divisional organisation design, rather than using IT as one of the strategic drivers of the design. This dominant divisional design is characterised by high levels of differentiation, and driven by a desire for bottom-line accountability. The current IT management solution to the dual pressures for cost and technology driven centralisation on the one hand, and business driven devolution on the other, has typically involved a federal IT structure, essentially fragmenting IT services among the differentiated units and levels of the organisation. In this paper we examine these current patterns of IT management, describe their problems, and outline an alternative strategic IT perspective. Whereas the dominant design utilises hierarchical structures to achieve differentiation, the alternative is concerned with horizontal structures to achieve integration. IT can provide a powerful platform for such integration and hence plan a proactive role in business redesign. We illustrate this perspective with four Australian case examples of strategic IT management. The complete paper was unavailable at the time of this publication.