Project Management Method Adoption: a Service Industry Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand what aspects of brand-named project management method (Project Management Institute - PMI) have been adopted in a service organization and how. The case context examined demonstrates how a weak-matrix organizational structure and agency interpretation along with project management maturity for IT outsourcing projects can affect adoption of a project management method. An interpretative case study is employed for examining the interplays among key notions underlying project management method adoption in IT outsourcing projects. The case study is framed with a research logic constituting the underlying notions of method adoption: the context the agency and the method and its fragments. It is found that the organization realizes 43 out of 47 processes proposed by PMI. It is also observed that the perceived project management maturity level is not aligned with the method fragments adopted. Among other discussion points the present findings contribute to the existing literature by emphasizing the effects of management control on PM method adoption in IT outsourcing. Furthermore this case allows us to argue that product-focused orientation in project management method adoption is evident and has several implications. The adoption and adaptation of processes in different types of projects is on the authors' future research agenda.