Traditional versus agile project management in public sector in Poland

Purpose: In recent years more and more agile methods of software production have been used in information projects (IT projects). Apart from some common features with other measures, IT projects have their own specificity which should be considered prior to the choice of the Traditional Project Management (TPM) or Agile Project Management (APM) for management of a particular project. Owing to the specificity of the implemented projects the approach presented in agile methods is more and more frequently chosen and preferred both by the solutions providers and the clients. Furthermore, the use of one of the traditional or agile methods should be preceded by analysis of various types of conditions of the sector in which the public administration entity is functioning. Legal conditions, organizational and decision-making culture, project financing methods and maturity of teams and the whole organisation in the project management area, affect not only the choice of methods but also the final success of the project. The multicriterial analysis of limitations in information projects implementation in the public sector allowed identification of the most important recommendations within necessary changes. The article points out that agile methods will not entirely replace the traditional management of IT projects in the public sector, with the most effective approach being their harmonious coexistence. Design/methodology/approach: The recommendation to use the TPM and APM approaches in Polish public administration entities was preceded by analysis of the most important legal acts for this purpose and comparison of the position of our country (or cluster to which Poland is qualified) in the acknowledged European study from the cycle of eGovernment Benchmark dating back to the years 2004-2018. Recommendations for implementation of IT projects in the public sector were supported by analysis of CHAOS reports dating back to 2012-2018 and 11th, 12th and 13th Annual State of Agile Reports respectively from 2016, 2017 and 2018. The article does not treat separately each of the best known methodologies and methodologies of confirmed effectiveness, but considers the shared philosophy of traditional or agile approach. Findings: The development of e-government proceeds due to the implementation – from the private sector – of the form of management through the development of projects. Analysis of the position of the Polish e-government in the eGovernment Benchmark points to a high backwardness of the public sector in Poland as compared to other countries. The backwardness may be made up for through implementation of effective methods of IT project management. However, the choice of an agile method should be preceded by an analysis of specific achievable benefits and conditions which have to be fulfilled as they are necessary to achieve such benefits. The public sector conditions connected with the Public Procurement Law and informal limitations resulting, among other, from organisational and decisive culture will not allow, as for now, to fully use agile methods. Originality/value: The public sector in Poland is the largest but at the same time the most difficult customer of services and products from the ICT sector in Poland. For a large purchaser of the ICT sector solutions the choice of the most effective project management method becomes a significant determinant of the project’s success. In practice, there is no organization or project in which a methodology in its pure form could be used. Therefore, a given methodological approach has to be adjusted to the conditions of the sector in which the organisation is functioning and to a specific project