Critical success factors for IT project management: a case study of a UK MOD IT project

This paper examines Critical Success Factors (CSFs), tackling the lack of empirical research on public sector IT project management, using content analysis and considering the importance of context in case study research. Major government IT projects often end in costly failure, raising questions about whether CSFs are understood, applied and, if so, whether they have any impact. This study identifies twelve relevant CSFs, before examining their use through a case study of a major Ministry of Defence (MOD) IT project. The study of context reveals two overarching issues for government: the need for increased governance and to learn lessons. MOD Reports translate government policy to the Defence context, but there is little evidence of any impact on project initiation.

The case study suggests the benefits of spending more time on project initiation, expending resource on preparation rather than rushing into development, potentially a cultural problem within MOD procurement. There was an apparent lack of top-level engagement with this project initially, in terms of recognising it as strategic and allocating the necessary resources. The need to build relationships, communication and trust between contractor and supplier is overridden by the commercial realities of a contractual situation along with the apparent lack of awareness of the need to manage the contract beyond the delivery of requirements and the lack of competence to undertake that management.

The overarching conclusion is that the impact of CSFs is variable: ignoring them will have an adverse effect on performance, whilst applying them will strengthen the resilience of the project management but cannot guarantee success. This draws into dispute the use of CSFs as a project management tool, particularly with regard to the emphasis on ‘success’. Although increased governance and control from central government appears to be a solution to IT project failure, it potentially forces generic solutions on to unique problems, further constraining action and potentially resulting in less reliable reporting in order to protect funding and resources. Generic CSFs are not the solution to the problems of major government IT projects, unique projects operating in highly specific and complex contexts; more contingent solutions should be sought. There needs to be greater recognition of this complexity, which makes these projects unpredictable, and more tolerance of error to allow learning