The Continuum of Information Systems Project Success: Reflecting on the Correlation between Project Success Dimensions

Abstract

Information systems (IS) project success has been a perennial bane of many researchers. Although there are short, medium and long-term dimensions to success, the reality is that they are inseparably linked. Time plays a significant role as a stakeholder, such as a project manager who has short-term interests. In contrast, a business executive has long-term interests for the organisation as a whole. Project success is arguably a continuum where each dimension plays a role in realising long-term benefits for the organisation. This research investigates IS projects specifically to understand the argued correlation between short, medium and long-term project success dimensions. A total of 612 valid responses were collected through an online questionnaire. Quantitative analysis through PLS-SEM was conducted to reveal the correlation between success dimensions. The overall implication is that short-term IS project success does not directly correlate with long-term IS project success. However, there is a clear correlation between the time phases of IS project success. This research shows medium-term success mediates the relationship and correlation of short and long-term success. While literature acknowledges the relationship literature, this research confirms this notion and proves a significant correlation between each IS project success dimension over time.