In their research article titled "A Perspective-Based Understanding of Project Success," authors Laurie McLeod, Bill Doolin, and Stephen G. MacDonell address the need for alternative approaches to studying project management. They specifically focus on evaluating project success from a subjectivist perspective. To investigate this topic, the authors conducted an in-depth, longitudinal case study within a large manufacturing company that involved information systems development. The goal was to understand how different project stakeholders subjectively perceived the outcome of the project and what evaluation criteria they used in forming their perceptions. Through their research, the authors developed a conceptual framework that provides insights into analyzing both formal and informal evaluations of project success. This framework emphasizes the influence of stakeholder perspectives on the perceived outcomes of a project and highlights how these evaluations may vary among stakeholders over time. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of project success evaluation by considering subjective viewpoints and diverse stakeholder perspectives. By recognizing the importance of these factors, organizations can gain valuable insights into how different stakeholders perceive project outcomes and make informed decisions based on these evaluations. Overall, this research expands on existing knowledge in the field of project management by offering an alternative approach to studying project success. It sheds light on the subjective nature of evaluations and provides a framework for analyzing these evaluations from different stakeholder perspectives. This allows organizations to better understand how different stakeholders view projects' successes or failures and use this information to inform decision making processes related to future projects.
- Authors address the need for alternative approaches to studying project management
- Focus on evaluating project success from a subjectivist perspective
- Conducted an in-depth, longitudinal case study within a large manufacturing company
- Goal was to understand how different project stakeholders subjectively perceived the outcome of the project and what evaluation criteria they used
- Developed a conceptual framework for analyzing formal and informal evaluations of project success
- Emphasizes the influence of stakeholder perspectives on perceived outcomes and how these evaluations may vary over time
- Findings contribute to understanding project success evaluation by considering subjective viewpoints and diverse stakeholder perspectives
- Organizations can gain valuable insights into how stakeholders perceive project outcomes and make informed decisions based on these evaluations
- Research offers an alternative approach to studying project success and sheds light on subjective nature of evaluations
- Provides a framework for analyzing evaluations from different stakeholder perspectives
- Helps organizations better understand how stakeholders view projects' successes or failures and inform decision making processes related to future projects
The authors of a study wanted to find different ways to understand project management. They focused on how people see if a project is successful or not. They did a long study in a big company to see how different people thought about the outcome of a project and what they used to decide if it was successful or not. They made a plan for looking at both formal and informal evaluations of project success. They found that different people have different opinions about if a project is successful or not, and these opinions can change over time. This helps organizations learn more about what people think about projects and make better decisions for future projects."
Definitions
- Alternative approaches: Different ways of doing something.
- Subjectivist perspective: How someone personally sees or thinks about something.
- Longitudinal case study: A long research study that looks at one specific situation over time.
- Evaluation criteria: The things that are used to judge or decide if something is good or bad.
- Conceptual framework: A plan or idea for understanding something.
- Stakeholder perspectives: The opinions and ideas of the people involved in a project.
- Perceived outcomes: How someone thinks something turned out.
- Diverse stakeholder perspectives: Different opinions from the people involved in a project.
- Shed light on: Help us understand better.
A Perspective-Based Understanding of Project Success
Project success is an important metric for organizations to measure when evaluating the effectiveness of their projects. However, traditional approaches to studying project management often fail to consider the subjective nature of project success evaluations and how these evaluations may vary among different stakeholders. In their research article titled "A Perspective-Based Understanding of Project Success," authors Laurie McLeod, Bill Doolin, and Stephen G. MacDonell address this issue by exploring alternative approaches to analyzing project success from a subjectivist perspective.
The Research Study
To investigate this topic, the authors conducted an in-depth, longitudinal case study within a large manufacturing company that involved information systems development. The goal was to understand how different project stakeholders subjectively perceived the outcome of the project and what evaluation criteria they used in forming their perceptions. Through their research, the authors developed a conceptual framework that provides insights into analyzing both formal and informal evaluations of project success.
The Conceptual Framework
This framework emphasizes the influence of stakeholder perspectives on the perceived outcomes of a project and highlights how these evaluations may vary among stakeholders over time. It also recognizes that subjective viewpoints are important factors when it comes to evaluating projects’ successes or failures and provides organizations with valuable insights into how different stakeholders view projects' outcomes so they can make informed decisions based on these evaluations.
Findings & Implications
Overall, this research expands on existing knowledge in the field of project management by offering an alternative approach to studying project success from a subjectivist perspective. By recognizing the importance of diverse stakeholder perspectives when it comes to evaluating projects’ successes or failures, organizations can gain valuable insights into how different stakeholders perceive them and use this information to inform decision making processes related to future projects as well as current ones. The findings from this study contribute significantly towards understanding more about how people evaluate projects’ successes or failures from various angles which can help organizations better manage their resources in order maximize efficiency while minimizing costs associated with failed initiatives due poor planning or executional issues stemming from lack thereof insight into stakeholder perspectives during planning stages prior implementation phases begining .