The Influence Of Commitment To Project Objectives In Information Technology (IT) Projects

Abstract

Managing successful Information Technology (IT) projects remains a challenging and perplexing ambition in today’s complex IT environment where project deliverables continue to be brought in behind schedule, over budget, and with less functionality than originally planned.  This study delves into goal commitment theory to investigate the potential role of commitment to project objectives in improving the performance of IT projects.  The following two questions are considered in this research:  (1) How does commitment influence perceptions of project performance, and (2) What key factors predict commitment?  Survey responses were collected from professionals currently involved in IT projects and data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.  Results indicate that commitment to project objectives has a positive influence on perceptions of project performance both directly and indirectly through individuals’ propensity to report project status information.  Time pressure in the project was found to have a negative influence on commitment to project objectives, while perceptions of personal investment had a positive effect on commitment to project objectives.  Time pressure also had a positive influence on perceptions of personal investment and a negative influence on perceptions of project performance.  Implications for research and practice are discussed.