Name: Chime Chinedu Week 8: Post IS/IT Project Installation and Termination Assignment Name: DQ

Name: Chime Chinedu
Week 8: Post IS/IT project installation and termination

Assignment Name: DQ
Introduction
Organisations evaluate Information systems (IS) to assess or appraise its value, worth or usefulness
post-completion and post-implementation reviews; Gwillim et al. (2005).
Post-completion reviews are undertaken from the inception of the project to the point of
implementation, while post-implementation reviews are carried out when the system has been put in
use for a period of time. Their aim is to justify investment, measure actual impact of the project
investment on business performance; identify successful processes that can be repeated in future
projects and avoid previous mistakes; Huikku (2007).
Challenges to be addressed
Post-implementation reviews aim to establish the extent to which the IS is delivering its anticipated
benefits; Knutson (2001), while post-completion reviews provide information to evaluate
organisations efficiency in implementing investment projects and assessing the accuracy of basic
assumptions about such projects and their operating environment; Chenhall & Morris (1993).
Challenges of reviews arise from lack of creating the right climate for an honest review process;
Knutson (2001), management buy-in, communication, trust, collaboration and coordination are
challenges I can identify.
In my former work place, management skipped reviews because they felt customer satisfaction
surveys were enough to assess project performance, and reviews would take the time that could be
spent on other revenue-earning activities; Chemuturi (2013).
Team members had moved on to other projects that had conflicting schedules, making it difficult for
them to quickly respond to requests or inquiries that would be needed for the reviews. Trust and
collaboration issues arise when team members perceive the review process as a punitive exercise for
laying blames on mistakes made, making them less open and honest in sharing information.
Also, stakeholders viewed success and failure differently; project managers view success as delivering
an agreed functionality on time and budget, while users see success as smooth implementation of
better functionality and user interfaces; Lachmann (2006).
Recommendations
To get management buy-in, they are briefed on the benefits of these reviews; which is to identify all
the best practices and pitfalls faced by the project, to facilitate future improvements; Chemuturi
(2013).
Stakeholders should agree on what will constitute as project success and failure, and on a formal
structure and schedule for meeting times and communication tools, and deadlines for feedback;
Knutson (2001). Communication tools used could further pose risks on proper feedback. Some might
not quickly respond to emails, while environmental or security factors raise other communication
risks.
Our focus is to know what went well, why and how deviations occurred, and identify improvements
to be made in subsequent projects; Rittinghouse (2004). It minimises the fear of being ridiculed or
being punished, aiding trust.
We also let the team know that team learning is not the sum of individual learning within the team;
but involves the sharing of knowledge, beliefs and assumptions among individuals; Huikku (2007).
Conclusion
Through training and using incentives, we can create a culture where post-project reviews are not seen
as just a task that has to be done, but as an important function to promote learning organisational
wide.
Reference:
Chemuturi, M 2013, Mastering IT Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques, J.
Ross Publishing, Plantation, FL, USA. Available from: ProQuest ebrary. [18 July 2015].
Chenhall, R, & Morris, D 1993, 'The Role of Post Completion Audits, Managerial Learning,
Environmental Uncertainty and Performance', Behavioral Research In Accounting, 5, p. 170, Business
Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 July 2015.
Gwillim, D, Dovey, K, & Wieder, B 2005, 'The politics of post-implementation reviews', Information
Systems Journal, 15, 4, pp. 307-319, Computers & Applied Sciences Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed
18 July 2015.
Huikku, J 2007, 'Explaining the Non-Adoption of Post-Completion Auditing', European Accounting
Review, 16, 2, pp. 363-398, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 July 2015.
Knutson, J (ed.) 2001, Project Management for Business Professionals: A Comprehensive Guide,
Wiley, New York, NY, USA. Available from: ProQuest ebrary. [18 July 2015].
Lachmann, O 2006, Manageable It Projects the Owners Choice, Copenhagen Business School Press,
Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, DNK. Available from: ProQuest ebrary. [18 July 2015].
Rittinghouse, J.W., 2004. Managing Software Deliverables: A Software Development Management
Methodology, Burlington, MA: Elsevier Digital Press.

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