Strategies to Control Internal Factors Affecting Information Systems Projects in Puerto Rico

• Main Author: Roman Acevedo, Annie Luz
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: ScholarWorks 2016
• Subjects: development; information system; project; project management; Puerto Rico; telecommunication; Databases and Information Systems
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3119; https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4222&context=dissertations

Many project managers and business leaders lack effective strategies to control internal factors that affect information systems (IS) projects, which may impede leadership's ability to respond to market changes. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by 6 purposefully selected project managers who successfully implemented information system development (ISD) projects by controlling the internal factors that affected different ISD project phases in Puerto Rico's telecommunication service industry. The framework that guided this study was coordination theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and project documentation including business requirements, project charters, project plans, and lessons learned which also served as resources for member checking and validation to strengthen the trustworthiness of the study. Analysis of the data occurred following Yin's 5 analytical steps of validating, coding, interpreting, summarizing, and generating themes. The 5 themes that emerged were top management support, clear requirements, communication, project plan, and lessons learned. Each theme corresponded to a phase of the project life cycle. Top management support and clear requirements were the top critical factors (TCF) in the initiating and planning phases. Communication and project plan were the TCF in the executing, monitoring, and controlling phases. Lessons learned were the TCF in the closing phase of the project. Implications for social change include helping IS project managers successfully implement IS projects, providing innovative services to customers, and improving an organization's position so it can provide jobs and economic stability in the region in which it operates.