IS project management success in developing countries

Abstract

The management of Information Systems (IS) projects occupies a prominent place in research given the need for continuously improve projects efficiency and efficacy. In the case of developing countries, this is even more important because projects success rates are typically lower than those of the socalled developed countries. Projects success is vital to development, because the countries not only need to use the scarce resources available in the best possible way, but also must gain trust from populations and investors to continue ensuring financing for future projects. Note that developing countries’ governments many times depend on foreign investment to undertake large projects, for instance in the construction or IS infrastructure sectors. However, there are few known studies about the success of IS projects in developing countries. To help fill this gap, we carried out a questionnaire-based survey in four countries. The focus of our survey was on IS projects from the public sector. This enabled to identify quite low levels of success, as well as an urgent need for training and education programmes on project management.