Project management information systems (PMIS) usually acquired by organizations as software packages are meant to provide managers with the decision-making support needed in planning, organizing, and controlling projects. However, the actual contribution of PMIS to project success or performance is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to empirically assess the quality of the PMIS presently used in organizations and to examine their impact on project managers and project performance, based on a PMIS success model. This model is composed of five constructs: the quality of the PMIS, the quality of the PMIS information output, the use of the PMIS, the individual impacts of the PMIS and the impacts of the PMIS on project success. Analysis of questionnaire data obtained from 39 project managers confirms the significant contribution of PMIS to successful project management. Improvements in effectiveness and efficiency in managerial tasks were observed here in terms of better project planning, scheduling, monitoring, and control. Improvements were also observed in terms of timelier decision-making. Advantages obtained from PMIS use are not limited to individual performance but also include project performance. These systems were found to have direct impacts on project success, as they contribute to improving budget control and meeting project deadlines as well as fulfilling technical specifications.

This paper reports the results of a survey of project sponsor activities and perceived levels of project success amongst 238 UK-based practitioners. Exploratory factor analysis was used to develop a multi-dimensional classification framework of project sponsorship incorporating activities linked to the sponsor being the interface between client and project and activities linked to the sponsor providing general support and being a champion. Stepwise regression was used to explore which classes of sponsor activity are predictors of perceived project success. The findings contribute to theory by conceptualising project sponsorship as a multi-dimensional construct and by confirming sponsorship as a project Critical Success Factor. Implications for practice include the need for organisations to recognise the broad role of the sponsor and to ensure that training and development of project sponsors is aligned with the multi-dimensional perspective.

We look into the interaction of the project manager’s leadership style with project type, and their combined impact on project success. We aim to show that different leadership styles are more likely to lead to a successful outcome on different types of project. A recently developed integrated model of intellectual, emotional and managerial competence (IQ, EQ, MQ, respectively) is used to identify project managers leadership styles. A web-based questionnaire was used to determine the leadership style of project managers and relate that to the success of their most recent projects. These are related to project types, using a recently developed categorization system for projects. These quantitative results are validated against qualitative results obtained using semi-structured interviews of managers responsible for assigning project manager to projects.