Portfolios of Control Modes and IS Project Management

Fon Sundaravej Portfolios of Control Modes and IS Project Management By Laurie J. Kirsch

This research examines the function of control as an aspect of management processes. Control ensures that individuals in organizations behave in a consistent manner to meet organizational objectives. Control is categorized into formal (behavioral and outcome) and informal (clan and self) modes. The current study explains how control modes are implemented during information system development projects and why information systems and users implement particular combinations of control modes. Four case studies of systems development projects reveal that users and information systems managers play an important role in controlling systems development projects. Users and managers implement a portfolio of control modes that include both formal and informal modes. In addition, the same mechanism is often used to implement various modes of control. Throughout the process of control modes construction, the choice of particular control depends on task characteristics, role expectations, and project-related knowledge and skills.

Kirsch (1997) starts the original concept of portfolios of control modes in IS domain. Subsequent researchers apply this concept in different aspects. Choudhury and Sabherwal (2003) examine the evolution of portfolio of controls over the duration of outsourced information systems development (ISD) projects. The study posits mechanisms constituting the portfolios of control in outsourced ISD projects, evolution of controls change during the course of an outsourced ISD projects, and factors influencing the initial composition and subsequent evolution of the portfolio of mechanisms used to control an outsourced ISD project. Five case studies, measured by qualitative method, demonstrate that the portfolios of control in outsourced projects are dominated by outcome controls. Behavior controls are less used but often added later in the project. Clan control is difficult to achieve in outsourced ISD projects because of the distance between vendor and client’s locations. Self-control is internally implemented by the vendor or controllee organization. Additionally, interactions between clients and vendors during the course of a project affect their perceptions on choice of control modes and mechanisms. Project size and controller’s project-related knowledge to facilitate behavior control are found insignificant factors on the choice of controls in outsourced ISD projects.

Later on, Kirsch makes further contribution to her own concept in “Deploying Common Systems Globally: The Dynamics of Control.” The objectives of this study are examining how stakeholders exercise control during different phases of large IS projects and why control choices change across project phases. In a general sense, IS project development can be viewed through three phases: requirements determination, development, and implementation. Kirsch (2004) differentiates control into four dimensions or elements: measurement, evaluation, reward, and role and relationship. The findings of two case studies confirm that collective sensemaking is mostly employed as informal mechanisms of control during the initial phase of a project, whereas technical winnowing of formal control mechanisms occurs during project development. IS and business stakeholders utilize informal and formal mechanisms during project implementation to exercise control as collaborative coordinating. Factors in the project (task characteristics, task interdependency, and project performance), stakeholder (knowledge and skills, nature of the relationship, lack of common goals, and role expectation), and global contexts (priority differences, geographic differences, and cultural differences) affect control choices in each phase.

Finally, Levina (2005) examines collaboration of people from diverse professions and organizational settings on information systems development projects. The longitudinal qualitative field study of a Web-based application development project is undertaken to develop an understanding of the collaborative practice that unfold among diverse professionals on information systems development projects. The findings from this study review that multiparty collaborative practice can be explained as a collective reflection-in-action (CRIA) cycle through which an information systems design emerges as a result of agents producing, sharing, and reflecting on explicit objects. Agents use control over the various economic and intellectual resources to influence the design of the project in distinctive ways. They add to, ignore, or challenge the work produced by other parties. From the study, ignoring the expertise of others does not lead to an agreement, adding leads to some agreements, and only challenging enables the transformation of diverse forms of expertise required for producing innovative outcomes.

IS 7890: IS Research Seminar Spring 2006