Completed Literature Review: A Critical Analysis of the Relationship between Project Management Standards and the Success of IT Projects in Government Departments

Subject	Project Management	Pages	45	Style	APA

Answer

Abstract

This pilot literature review focused on examining the association or relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects. To accomplish this goal, a research methodology focusing on the aspects of protocol and training, practical screen, search, data extraction, quality appraisal, and synthesis approach respectively was adopted. The key finding of the review was that there exist a positive relationship between project management standards and government IT projects. Project management standards were established to contribute to the success of government IT projects in four ways including facilitation of the attainment of investment value and accomplishment of the project’s needs, enhancement of the efficiency of IT projects in government ministries and departments, integration of government IT project activities with rolling operational activities, and alignment of portfolios with IT project objectives and strategy. As such, it can be concluded that project management standards impact the success of government IT projects in a positive manner. These findings have practical and scholarly implications in that they can be employed in encouraging the adoption of project management standards in government IT project and provide clarity on the nature of the relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects, as how this relationship is accomplished. Future studies, should focus on conducting in-depth interviews with the aim of gathering detailed information on how project management standards impact the success of public or government IT projects.

Introduction

The purpose of this pilot literature review was a critical analysis of the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects in government departments. Project management standards such as Team Software Process, the ISO Standards ISO 2009, V-Model, and PRINCE 2 among others play significant in the success of IT projects. However, there exist limited or lack of adoption project management standards in government IT departments. As such, the findings of this study will shed light on the association between project management standards and the success of IT projects in government departments, which in turn will encourage their adoption in these departments. The primary conclusion from the findings of this study is that the implementation of project management standards in government IT departments contribute to the success of IT projects. This review is organized into sections including the introduction, research methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion.

Research Methodology

The research methodology employed for conducting this pilot literature review focused on six key areas including protocol and training, practical screen, search, data extraction, quality appraisal, and synthesis approach.

Protocol and Training

This step commenced by drafting the research question, which will focus on the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects in government IT departments. Such a step was significant in ensuring that reviewer has a clear and concise research question. The next step involved the establishment of the protocol for the pilot literature review. The protocol detailed the plan to be adopted in conducting the pilot literature review including the databases to be consulted, how to conduct the search, and articles to be included in and excluded from the pilot literature review among other aspects. In general the development of the protocol was informed by the practical screening document. The next step involved acquainting myself with the relevant note-taking techniques such as surveying, questioning, reading, recalling, and reviewing so that they can manage to handle enormous volumes of work, establish connections, and recall content for future inclusion. This step was then followed by the development of an appropriate tool to review the identified literature. To accomplish this goal, reviewing was done using checklists that focus on the contents of the practical screening document. Such an undertaking ensured that all aspects of practical screen or the inclusion criteria for the articles are met.

Practical Screen

In this stage, the researcher was explicit concerning the studies to be incorporated in the pilot literature review and the studies that will be eliminated or rejected without further examination. It is significant to note that the reviewer stated the practical reasons for not incorporating the excluded studies in the pilot literature review and justified how the final or resulting review can still manage to accomplish the desired comprehensiveness granted the practical exclusion criteria. The aspects that were taken into consideration in this stage are funding sources, journal ranking, search dates, authors, participants or study subjects, and grey literature or peer reviews, as well as type of studies. In relation to this, any restrictions were not be applied on funding sources, search dates, authors, journal rankings, and peer reviews or grey literature, as well as study subjects or participants. It is significant to note that since this study was a theory contending literature, limiting the research to either grey literature or peer reviews may be counterproductive. Besides, restrictions were not placed on the type of studies, whether quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative studies were incorporate in the review as they provided a correlation between variables, whereas qualitative studies were included in the research as they provided detailed information about issues or variables under investigation. However, restrictions were placed on publication language, content, and research design. The review was limited to articles that focused on the relationship between project management standards and success of IT projects within government IT departments. When it comes to publication language, the study was restricted to articles that are published in the English language.

Search

The search process focused on a strategy that incorporates four primary steps. The first step involved the definition as well as writing down of my research question, which in this case will focus on the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects within government departments. The second stage entailed the identification and documentation of a record of key terms, words, and phrases. In relation to this, the key words, terms, and phrases that were searched included “project management standards”, “success of IT projects”, and “government, public IT projects”. The third step involved the development or creation of the exclusion and inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria involved articles focusing on the topic under investigation and articles published in English. Exclusion criteria involved articles not published in English, and articles not focusing on the study topic. The fourth stage focused on establishing the places or sites where the literature search was to be conducted. In relation to this, the search was performed on four reputable academic websites and databases including EBSCO, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest.

Data Extraction

This stage involved systematic retrieval of information from each paper obtained from the literature search by reviewers. Data extraction was based on the research question, which focuses on the relationship between project management standards and success of IT projects within government or public departments. To accomplish this goal, a data extraction form that incorporated spaces for storing the details needed by the study query and general section for comment was used. The data collection form focused on many aspects related to the topic of study including project management standards, impact of project management standards on IT projects, context of study, explanations of the effects of project management standards on IT projects in government departments. Information from this form was combined with that from the stage of practical screen to provide a complete record of every study after which I proceeded to write the review. The reporting of the findings in the pilot literature review was conducted in sufficient detail so that other researchers can manage to reproduce the results of the review in an independent manner when needed.

Quality Appraisal

Considering that this is a TCR, quality appraisal was not performed, as the researcher desired to include or incorporate all possible ideas from the existing body of literature on the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects in government departments. All possible ideas on the topic were included even in situations where they are not well-supported, which makes quality appraisal optional for this pilot literature review.

Synthesis Approach

This stage involved the aggregation, discussion, organization, and comparison of findings. The first step in the synthesis process involved the description of each theoretical concept and every theoretical relationship in detail. The theoretical concepts involved in this pilot review were project management standards and success of IT projects. The second step in the synthesis process entailed the summary of what every article say concerning the project management standards and success of IT projects in government departments of IT, and the relationship between these two concepts. The third step involved the establishment of shared issue, which is the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects in government department, across the articles. The fourth step entailed highlighting any significant differences that are pertinent to the study. This step was then followed by drawing inferences and conclusions from the findings so that polished synthesis information can be presented for the writing of the review.

Findings

Whereas the relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects in government departments remain unclear, the reviewed articles provide valuable information about the nature of this association. Al-Karaghouli (2009) reveals that Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) lead to the success of government IT projects by facilitating the project initiation stage or phase. The study by Furlong and Al-Karaghouli (2010) also support the existence of a positive association between project management standards and IT project in government in that PMBOK empowers project managers and encourages interaction of project team members. In explaining the nature of the relationship between project management standards and government IT projects’ success, Badewi (2016) reveals that project management standards positively influences the success of IT projects. While investigating this area of study, Berger and Rose (2015) focus on PRINCE2 and show that there exist no association between project management standards and the success of government IT projects. However, the existence of a positive relationship between PRINCE2 and government IT projects’ success is highlighted by Shah et al. (2011) in that project management standards enhance procurement, human resource management, and communication in IT projects. In general there exist a positive relationship between all project management standards and the success of IT projects in government departments, as highlighted in the studies by Crawford and Helm (2009), Caliste (2012), Furlong (2015), and Khan et al. (2019). Nonetheless, the role of project management standards in facilitating the success of IT projects in government departments is highlighted differently in all these four articles. Crawford and Helm (2009) highlights the role of facilitating the accomplishment of investment value or worth and meeting IT projects’ needs, while Caliste (2012) emphasizes the role of increasing efficiency within government ministries as well departments. Furlong (2015) stresses the role of integrating government IT project operations with ongoing process operational activities, whereas Khan et al. (2019) highlight the role of aligning portfolios with IT projects’ objectives and strategy. Moreover, the relationship between project management standards and the success of IT projects within government departments is shown to be reliant on the context of the IT project under implementation, as evident in the findings of Pūlmanis (2014) and Sarantis et al. (2010). As such, the findings of this pilot literature review fill the existing gap in literature in terms of the absence of clarity on the relationship between project management standards and success of IT projects within government departments (see figure I and figure II in the next pages for the concept matrix table and a nomological network diagram on the relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects).

	CONCEPTS
Articles		Project Management Standards	Success of IT Projects in Government Departments	Nature of the Relationship	How the Relationship Occurs	Type of Study
Al-Karaghouli (2019)		The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)	e-Government projects	Positive	Project management standards facilitate the project initiation stage or phase in IT projects	Literature review
Badewi (2016)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Not explained	Online survey
Berger & Rose (2015)		PRINCE2	advanced email system	No relationship/ null	No relationship	Literature review
Crawford & Helm (2009)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Project management standards facilitate the accomplishment of investment value or worth and meeting IT projects’ needs	Literature review
Caliste (2012)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Project management standards increase efficiency of IT projects	Semi-structured interviews
Furlong & Karaghouli (2010)		PMBOK	e-Government projects	Positive	Project management standards empower project managers and encourages interaction of project team members in IT projects in government departments	Literature review
Furlong (2015)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Project management standards integrate government IT project operations with ongoing process operational activities	Literature review
Khan et al. (2019)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Project management standards align portfolios with IT projects’ objectives and strategy	Questionnaire survey
Pūlmanis (2014)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Impact of project management standards on IT projects in government departments depend on the IT project involved	Survey questionnaire
Sarantis et al. (2010)		Project management standards in general	IT projects in general	Positive	Impact of project management standards on IT projects in government departments depend on the IT project involved	Literature review
Shah et al. (2011)		PRINCE2	e-Government projects	Positive	Project management standards enhance procurement, human resource management, and communication in IT projects	Case study

Table I: Concept Matrix

Implementation

Figure I: Nomological network diagram

Discussion

The findings of all the articles reviewed in this pilot literature review revealed a positive relationship between the implementation of project management standards in government IT department and the success of IT projects in government IT departments, with only one study by Al-Karaghouli (2009) and Badewi (2016) not establishing the existence of a relationship between these two concepts. While evaluating the effectiveness of project management within transformative e-government projects, Al-Karaghouli (2009) established that project management standards, particularly the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), contribute to the success of government IT projects by enhancing the project initiation phase. The finding of this study is supported by the findings of Furlong and Al-Karaghouli (2010), who critically evaluated and examined the underlying challenges and barriers in large egovernance initiatives. As in the case of the study executed by Al-Karaghouli (2009), this study was also focused on PMBOK as the preferred project management standard. The study revealed that PMBOK positively impacts the success of government IT projects by empowering project managers and encouraging human interactions.

In another study where Badewi (2016) aimed at testing the impact of BM practices on the success of investments in projects, taking into consideration the impact of PM practices on that success, the author established that project management practices positively impact the success of IT projects, as well as investments in such projects, thereby confirming the finding of Al-Karaghouli (2009) and of Furlong and Al-Karaghouli (2010). However, the study by Badewi (2016) focuses on project management standards in general whereas the studies by Al-Karaghouli (2009) and of Furlong and Al-Karaghouli (2010) focus specifically on PMBOK. Berger and Rose (2015) also decided to be more specific by investigating the difficulties associated with the implementation of PRINCE 2 in government IT projects, particularly the implementation of advanced email system. Thus, this study was specific on the project management standard (PRINCE 2) and government IT project (implementation of advanced email system). The study revealed that PRINCE2 does not contribute to the success of government IT projects, specifically egovernance. As such, it can be noted that this finding contradicts the findings of Al-Karaghouli (2009) and Badewi (2016), which reveal the existence of a positive relationship between government IT projects and project management standards. The findings of imply that there exists no association or relationship between project management standards and success of government IT projects. However, in the study conducted by Shah et al. (2011) on project management practices, particularly PRINCE2, adopted by the Electronic Government Directorate during the implementation of e-Government projects in Pakistan, the findings revealed that PRINCE2 contributes to the success of public sector IT projects by enhancing procurement, communication, and human resource management. As such, it can be noted that this finding contradict the finding of the study executed by Berger and Rose (2015), which also focused on PRINCE2 as a project management standard.

Other studies reviewed in this pilot review focused on the impact of project management standards in general on the success of government IT projects, and the outcomes revealed a positive relationship between project management standards and government IT projects’ success. For example, Crawford and Helm (2009) examined the expectations and realization of value from investment in project management in four Australian public-sector organizations with particular reference to the government context, the support that project management provides in meeting the demands of public-sector governance. The study revealed that project management standards contribute to the success of government IT projects by enhancing the realization of investment value and meeting the demands or needs of public-sector governance. As such, this study confirms the existence of a positive relationship between project management standards and government IT projects. In a different study, Caliste (2012) examined the state of project management and projects within one of the largest government ministries in Trinidad and Tobago. The findings of this study confirm the existence of a positive association between project management standards and government IT projects, which was evident in the increase of efficiency within departments and ministries due to the implementation of project management standards. On the other hand, Furlong (2015) examined a two-pronged approach (existential change leadership and enhanced project management) to respond to the challenges and barriers that have long impeded transformational eGovernment progress and the accountability vacuum for the elusive transformational breakthrough results. The author established that project management standards contribute to complete integration of government IT project activities with on-going operational activities, thereby leading to project success. Therefore, it can be noted that this study also reveals a positive association between project management standards and government IT projects. In a another study, Khan et al. (2019) investigated the present practices of project governance for steering the public sector infrastructure within Pakistan with a focus on the impact of project management standards on government IT projects. The study showed that project management standards align portfolios with strategy and objectives, which in turn contributes to project success. Thus, the findings of this study also affirm the existence of a positive association between project management standards and government IT project.

Considering the findings of these articles that focus on influence of project management standards in general on government IT projects’ success, it can be noted that even though the findings of Crawford and Helm (2009), Caliste (2012), Furlong (2015), and Khan et al. (2019) reveal a positive association between government IT projects and project management standards, these impacts vary from one study to another. For example, Crawford and Helm (2009) established that the relationship between project management standards and government IT projects exists in the fact that project management standards facilitate the attainment of investment value and accomplishment of the needs of public sector e-governance. On the other hand, Caliste (2012) found that this relationship is manifested in the form of project management standards increasing the efficiency in government ministries and departments. The outcomes of Furlong (2015) show that this association is founded on the fact that project management standards integrate government IT project activities with continuing operational activities, whereas the findings of Khan et al. (2019) revealed that this relationship is based on the fact that project management standards ensure the alignment of portfolios with objectives and strategy, which in turn leads to project success.

The relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects was also established to be dependent on the context of government IT project to be implemented. For instance, Pūlmanis (2014) examined the application of project management practices within the public sector of Latvia. The study revealed that project management methodologies contribute to the success of public IT projects when these procedures are applied within the context of the government IT project involved. As such, these findings imply that the success of project management standards on government IT projects is only realized when such standards are relevant to the IT projects involved. From these findings, it can be argued that the relationship between project management standards and success of government IT project is dependent on the relevance of project management standards and IT projects. These findings are confirmed by the findings of Sarantis et al. (2010) who examined the weakness of commonly used project management methodologies in the light of egovernment project challenges. The findings of this study revealed that project management methodologies do not contribute to the success of government IT projects such as egovernance when they are not applied within context.

Conclusion

This pilot literature review focused on examining the association or relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects. To accomplish this goal, a research methodology focusing on the aspects of protocol and training, practical screen, search, data extraction, quality appraisal, and synthesis approach respectively was adopted. The review focused on eleven (11) articles, which were retrieved from reputable academic databases or websites. Out of the 11 articles only one article did not reveal the existence of a relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects. The key finding of the review was that there exist a positive relationship between project management standards and government IT projects. Besides, this relationship was established to be dependent on the context of the government IT involved. Project management standards were established to contribute to the success of government IT projects in four ways including facilitation of the attainment of investment value and accomplishment of the project’s needs, enhancement of the efficiency of IT projects in government ministries and departments, integration of government IT project activities with rolling operational activities, and alignment of portfolios with IT project objectives and strategy. As such, it can be concluded that project management standards impact the success of government IT projects in a positive manner. These findings have practical and scholarly implications. The practical implications of these findings is that government IT departments should focus on the incorporation of project management standards in their IT projects for them to realize benefits such as efficiency of projects, alignment of project portfolio with strategy and objectives, integration of IT project activities with ongoing department processes, and enhancement of the realization of project’s needs and investment value. The scholarly implication of these findings is that they shed light on the nature of the relationship between project management standards and the success of government IT projects, as how this relationship is accomplished. Future studies, should focus on conducting in-depth interviews with the aim of gathering detailed information on how project management standards impact the success of public or government IT projects.

References

Al-Karaghouli, Wafi. (2009). The evaluation and the effectiveness of project management in transformational e-government projects. European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems

Badewi, A. (2016). The impact of project management (PM) and benefits management (BM) practices on project success: Towards developing a project benefits governance framework. International Journal of Project Management, 34(4), 761-778.

Berger, J. B., & Rose, J. (2015). Nine challenges for e-government action researchers. International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR), 11(3), 57-75.

Crawford, L. & Helm, J. (2009). Government and governance: the value of project management in the public sector. Project Management Journal, 40(1), 73–87.

Caliste, A. L. (2012). The Project Management Project--challenges in the Public Sector. Project Management Institute.

Furlong, S., & Al-Karaghouli, W. (2010). Delivering professional projects: The effectiveness of project management in transformational e-government initiatives. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 4(1), 73-94.

Furlong, S. (2015). International challenges to transformational government: Enhanced project management identifies need for existential change. JeDEM-eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, 7(2), 1-23.

Khan, A., Waris, M., Ismail, I., Sajid, M. R., Ali, Z., Ullah, M., & Hussain, A. (2019). Investigating the practices of project governance in public sector infrastructure program in Pakistan. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2019.

Pūlmanis, E. (2014). Public sector project management efficiency problems, case of Latvia. Regional Formation and Development Studies, 11(3), 177-188.

Sarantis, D., Smithson, S., Charalabidis, Y., & Askounis, D. (2010). A critical assessment of project management methods with respect to electronic government implementation challenges. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 23(4), 301-321.

Shah, S., Khan, A. Z., & Khalil, M. S. (2011). Project management practices in e-Government projects: A case study of electronic government directorate (EGD) in Pakistan. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(7), 235-243.

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