Addressing Complexity in ISD: An Empirical Case Study

The sociotechnical nature of ISD projects has driven the shift in focus from product delivery to facilitating organizational change. These projects are operating in an unstructured environment where they are becoming more complex in terms of technology, the interrelationships with stakeholders, emerging scope and organizational expectations. The projects are more strategic but also address a broader social dimension. The management of this complexity requires knowledge processes such as learning, sensemaking and reflective practice as well as drawing on practitioners´ knowledge and experience. This paper conceptualizes these projects as value creating projects rather than being focused on a tangible product or artifact. A study of the rollout of an information system in an Australian Government Department that used the project as a vehicle for organizational change and value creation for the organization is presented. Through this empirical study it demonstrates the need to expand the repertoire of project management methods, processes, techniques and tools to deal with this complexity aligning with the ´Rethinking Project Management´ (RPM) agenda.