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This paper proposes a multi-domain framework for defining information technology (IT) project success. There has been much discussion in the literature on the definition of project success but no consensus is emerging. A key problem is the multiplicity of expectations and perceptions of project performance. A reference framework for IT project success would support development of the discipline by providing a common language for communication and comparison as well as focusing on what stakeholders perceive as important. The framework builds on and extends criteria in the literature that relate to stakeholder interests. The framework contains five domains of success: process, project management, product, business and strategic. The domains are orthogonal and not for composing greater degrees of success. Assessing success in any one domain is independent of performance in other domains. Case examples illustrate application of the framework.

There is a growing recognition among alignment researchers and IT professionals that "one size does not fit all." In this article, we provide an important extension of alignment research that shows three profiles linking IT to different business objectives. We address the need to identify the appropriate types of IT alignment by using a multi-method study including interviews and cases. Two dimensions define the three alignment profiles: internal IT-business integration and external market engagement. The technical resource profile calls for low levels of IT-business integration and IT-market engagement. The business enabler profile deploys IT in some business processes and begins engaging IT with customers and suppliers. The strategic weapon profile uses IT to mobilize and extend the enterprise, which requires extensive IT deployment, both internally and externally. Each profile differs in strategies, criteria, capabilities, and mental models. Importantly, IT decision-makers should not adopt stage-model thinking which assumes that technical resource profiles naturally progress up the chain. Rather, successful use of IT requires specifying the requisite alignment profile as an initial design decision so that appropriate levels of resource allocation and management involvement occur.

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