Managing large-scale IS/IT projects in the public sector: Problems and causes leading to poor performance

Abstract

With a large scope and high degree of complexity, managing large-scale projects is a challenge to project managers. The challenge is even greater when it comes to public sector projects due to the involvement of many stakeholders and the need to manage various relationships. For these reasons, many projects ended up with poor performance. Research has shown that success in managing large-scale projects requires a great deal of coordination and collaboration which can be done through established processes, strong teams, and involvement of stakeholders. Even though these processes and approaches are known, effectively implementing them is very difficult. The objective of this study is to investigate the management of selected large-scale IS/IT projects in the public sector in order to identify common problems and causes leading to poor performance. Fourteen projects from the US, UK, and Australia were studied, making this research among the few studies to investigate large-scale IS/IT projects in the public sector from different countries. The research results indicate common problems related to system design and implementation, project management and governance, and contract management. Theoretical contributions and implications for practitioners are also discussed.

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