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Managing Information Technology Projects Using Agile Methodology: The Case of Books for Africa Project

Managing Information Technology Projects Using Agile Methodology: The Case of Books for Africa Project

Alice S. Etim (Winston Salem State University, USA), Chandra Prakash Jaiswal (Winston Salem State University, USA), Marsheilla Subroto (Winston Salem State University, USA), and Vivian E. Collins Ortega (Winston Salem State University, USA)
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-3468-7.ch007
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Abstract

The management of information technology (IT) projects has experienced a shift from predictive and traditional project management methodology to more adaptive practices like Agile. Agile method and its developmental stages are a response to current business-changing trends and computing needs of society. The process assists in accelerating product delivery with rapid feedback and cost-conscious, consecutive iteration, distinguishing it from other traditional practices like the waterfall method. This chapter contributes to the existing literature by discussing agile project management for IT projects, with a specific case of the Africa IT project – the Books for Africa Project (hereafter called, Book Project). The first part of the chapter is used to review the literature on Agile IT projects. The Book Project as a case is an IT project, and it is discussed in detail in the chapter. The chapter concludes with transferable lessons for projects in developing countries, specifically those located in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Literature

Software Project History

The history of modern software project management can be traced back to the late 1950s. Software companies adopted the already well-known waterfall model, which was primarily used for hardware production as a model for its software projects. However, with developing systems, companies realized that this linear approach of product development was less than optimal for software (Mens, 2008).

The two major limitations of this linear model were the lack of flexibility for the separation of phases and a lack of requirements’ clarity especially at the start of a project. The main causes for software project failures were expanded to incomplete or unclear requirements, inadequate user involvement, inadequate resources, unrealistic time demands, unclear or unrealistic project goals, poor estimates, inadequate executive support, changing requirement, and inadequate planning (Wells & Kloppenborg, 2019)

Project Success Definition

The identification of causes or obstacles that led to software project failures led to engineering of other methodologies like agile method. The preference for agile practices was mainly to achieve project success. There are several ways to determine the success of projects and many definitions of project success. According to Muller & Jugdev, 2012, p. 757, “project success is a multi-dimensional construct that undergoes influence from the interaction of personal, project, team and organizational success.” Mir & Pinnington, 2014, on the other hand, indicate that project success measurement criteria differ from project to project. Project success has always been measured by meeting objectives, time, and budget. This evaluation is the most common way for many organizations to determine the success of the projects (Frese & Sauter, 2003; Bannerman, 2008). For development projects, success outcomes are not only determined by budget and time but also how the project will be able to deliver the benefit and meet the expectations of the various stakeholders like the sponsor and customers (Cavarec, 2012).

Two primary categories that an organization should focus on are project success and project management success. Project success is determined by the level of effectiveness and the project deliverables for stakeholders’ satisfaction. On the other hand, project management success should focus on the level of efficiency of how the project achieves the objectives that were set in the beginning. Efficiency is related to how the project manages its limited resources to meet the goals while developing good relationships with internal and external stakeholders (Wells & Kloppenborg, 2019).

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