The Role of Controls to Minimize Risks of Information Technology Project Failures

This paper examines the existing forms of “IT Project Controls”, used in system implementations, their suitability and effectiveness and suggests a redefinition of the conventional role of “Project Controls” from isolated project activities concerned mainly with project schedule, deviations and cost variances to an integral part of the Risks and Quality Management components of the Project-Risk Model adopted by IPRM Methodology that is being developed through the research program. The investigation is based on a survey of a number of major system implementations in Oil & Gas, Utilities and Manufacturing industries, focusing on information related to management’s perception and use of ‘Controls’ and their possible impacts on project delivery outcomes. The survey also targets specific project risk information relevant to further investigation of the relationship between control and system risk profile at any point of time during the project life