A project management methodology to achieve successful digitalization in maintenance organizations

Abstract

The efficient project management of information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) projects is a crucial factor since, in many cases, they fail to meet the expected demands and requirements of the different stakeholders’. It is well known that poor project management, like inadequate risk management and insufficient project planning, is one of the main reasons for ICT project failure. An understanding of the digitalisation and the ICTs digital capabilities, i.e. adoption of disruptive technologies are crucial as well for its successful implementation. Thus, with the emergence of the new ICTs such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and big data, the digitalisation of the maintenance domain has become even more complicated. It is, therefore, essential to revisit standard processes when carrying out software development projects for the area of interest. A broad selection of software development methodologies exists today. However, these are general-purpose development approaches, and it is, therefore, crucial to have an understanding of the best options and best practices of the existent methodologies for context-specific development projects. Thus, the authors present a literature review of ICT project methodologies and later discuss these findings taking into consideration the characteristics of the domain of interest. Based on this, an ICT project management methodology suitable for the Industrial maintenance domain is suggested.