Success management and the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK): an integrated perspective

Abstract

It is a significant challenge to define and achieve success in information systems project management, given the high number and diversity of involved stakeholders and variables that need to be taken into account by project managers and their teams. Project management standards and guides are valuable in this context, as they provide concepts, processes and techniques related to several complementary knowledge areas (e.g., cost, quality, risk, etc.). However, they do not explicitly define what needs to be done towards managing the success of a project (including, for instance, the formal evaluation of success). To address this gap, we propose a new model for the integration of the success management activities into the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide. To this end, a Design Science Research process has been adopted. The research is in progress and the resulting model is currently being evaluated in information systems projects.