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Information Systems Projects and Individual Developer Outcomes: Role of Project Managers and Process Control

Author

Listed:
  • Viswanath Venkatesh

    (Department of Information Systems, Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701)

  • Arun Rai

    (Center for Process Innovation, Department of Computer Information Systems, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303)

  • Likoebe M. Maruping

    (Center for Process Innovation, Department of Computer Information Systems, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303)

Abstract

We integrate control theory and the information systems (IS) project management literature using a multilevel lens to theorize the cross-level effects of technical IS project risk on individual developer outcomes—performance and psychological stress—and the mechanisms by which IS project managers’ project-related knowledge attenuates this relationship. We argue that IS project managers with project-related knowledge mitigate technical IS project risk by facilitating the enactment of internal and external process controls in their IS projects. Our empirical study involves data collected from 1,230 individual developers embedded in 130 IS project teams that are managed by 20 IS project managers. Our results provide strong support for the three-level model and its set of (a) cross-level main effects of technical IS project risk on individual developer outcomes; (b) cross-level main effects of IS project manager project-related knowledge on enacted internal and external process controls; and (c) cross-level moderation of the relationship between technical IS project risk and individual developer outcomes by IS project manager project-related knowledge through internal and external process controls. Our study provides insights on how IS project management, IS project process controls, and technical IS project risk must be managed as a system of multilevel dependencies to achieve the desired developer outcomes. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0723 .

Suggested Citation

  • Viswanath Venkatesh & Arun Rai & Likoebe M. Maruping, 2018. "Information Systems Projects and Individual Developer Outcomes: Role of Project Managers and Process Control," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(1), pages 127-148, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:29:y:2018:i:1:p:-
    DOI: isre.2017.0723
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alex Estevam & Denis Dennehy & Kieran Conboy, 2022. "Using Flow Tools to Enact Control in Software Development Projects: A Cross-case Analysis," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 287-304, February.
    2. Yang, Feifei & Shinkle, George A. & Goudsmit, Mirjam, 2022. "The efficacy of organizational control interactions: External environmental uncertainty as a critical contingency," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 855-868.

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