Minitrack Introduction

Project-based work is a major component of information technology (IT) activity in most companies, especially with regard to design and implementation of new IT systems. Yet evidence suggests that many IT projects do not meet cost, schedule and functionality targets. This has significant negative implications for individual companies and for national economies. For example, Johnson [1] estimated that $81 billion was spent in the USA on IT projects that were abandoned before they were completed. Moreover, IT tools and techniques are seen to be central to the management of projects of all types across the diverse range of industrial sectors.