Modified IT-project management interventions for an increased economic impact

Abstract

A combination of two selected qualitative research methods is a practical addition for project managers who need both: knowledge about reflections on project work and a bridge to reflective technical development in IT projects. By referring to the recently published enrichment of refPM, a reflective project management process model, and its application on the exemplary model Unified Process this paper shows that reflection in IT projects leads to more efficient project work. If project managers integrate these reflection activities into their projects more consciously, they will have the option to pay more attention to the economic impact of their projects because invested money is tied up in projects for a certain time and its paybacks are necessary for raising the companies' shareholder values in a long term. An empirical qualitative research study will report on this issue to show that reflection is a positive contribution especially for project oriented companies. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.