Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Dr. Ronald Jones

Abstract

Since 2005, most midsize company information technology (IT) projects had a 62.4% failure rate because of wrong project team communication skills or cost overruns. IT leaders expect negative IT project outcomes will cost over $2 billion by 2020. Using the actor-network theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by IT leaders from a midsize IT company in Washington, D.C. to plan and execute projects under budget and on time. Using purposeful sampling, 5 IT leaders were selected for this study because of their experience in implementing successful strategies for projects. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documentation, and internal organizational risk reports. Yin's 5-step process was used for data analysis to compile, disassemble, reassemble, interpret, and conclude the data. The interpretation of data, subjected to methodological triangulation and member checking to strengthen the dependability and credibility of the findings, yielded 3 themes of IT leader communication skills: IT leader strategy, IT leader knowledge, and implementation of cost savings. The findings indicated that IT leaders serve as the key actors in the IT project network, and leader communication skills are essential for implementing strategies for IT project completion and cost savings. With this knowledge, IT leaders can implement strategies to plan and execute projects under budget and on time. The implications for a positive social change includes the potential for IT leaders to reduce project production waste and contribute to economic expansion.

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