Runaway Information Technology Projects

Abstract

This paper presents an in-depth insider’s case study of a “runaway” information systems (IS) project in a U.S. State government agency. Because such projects are politically sensitive matters and often obscured from public view, details of how such projects operate are not well understood. This case study adds new details to the body of knowledge surrounding IS project escalation and de-escalation. The authors’ resulting project narrative details how this project went out of control for so long, raising important questions for future research in theory development for both IS project escalation and de-escalation. The paper argues that a punctuated equilibrium approach to analyzing “runaway” IS projects are a more fruitful area to explore than are “stage models.”

IS Project Management and Risk Escalation: Towards A Dynamic Model

“…The premise of the factor-based approach to IS risk management is that risks are entities that can be identified and defined prior to the commencement of a project; that they are time and context independent, and that the nature and attributes of such risks remain static throughout the lifetime of a project. Such a 'factor-based' approach to risk management, has been widely adopted (Barki et al, 1993, Dagher and Kuzic, 2011, Kappleman et al, 2006, Tiwana and Keil, 2004, nevertheless the approach overlooks the emergent nature of risks (Leonard, 2012, Wright andCapps, 2010).…”