Critical IT Project Management Competencies: Aligning Instructional Outcomes with Industry Expectations

Introduction

Anyone who has spent significant time reviewing academic papers knows that one key criterion by which papers are evaluated is originality. Yet scientific advancement is based not only on novel Kuhnian paradigm shifts or unexpected empirical evidence, but also on the slower, more methodical delivery of results that validate (or possibly extend) prior research or evidence. One area in which compelling overlapping evidence has been accruing over the past decade or more is in the research into what kinds of skills employers are looking for in their entry-level computing employees. Some of these studies have looked at computing graduates in general, while others have examined just the more specialized sub-disciplines, such as software engineering (SE), information technology (IT), or information systems (IS).

Previous studies have emphasized the need to bridge the gap in industry-university skill expectations in computing project management (hereafter referred to as IT project management), which is sometimes interpreted by the academic institutions as a call to teach currently fashionable technologies (Stevens & Norman, 2016). The urgency to bridge this gap is amplified by the fact that today’s organizational growth comes with business and technical (IT-driven) process complexities. These complexities exist in the face of aggressive competition, which challenges organizations to seek appropriate IT-based strategic and tactical solutions that in turn, require appropriately skilled IT personnel. Similar to project management, IT project management is a complex activity that is conceptualized around the building blocks of individual and group relationships, individual and group cohesion, key performance indicators, and the identification and management of the sources of project failure (Cicmil, Cooke-Davies, Crawford, & Richardson, 2009). Industry tends to view IT project management as mainly a managerial activity (e.g., Maylor, Vidgen, & Carver, 2008), while academic departments tend to view it as mainly technical one (involving software development and testing) and often train students in project management based on a general framework provided in IT project management texts (e.g., Stellman & Greene, 2005). While this provides some (especially technical) project management skills, it might be deficient in terms of entry-level project participation skills.

Despite the abundance of literature on IT project management skills requirements, some unresolved questions still remain. To what extent does a university IT graduate fit into organizational business and process complexities that require IT solutions? How adequate are university IT project management courses in preparing computing students to meet industry expectations? What level of emphasis is placed on soft/behavioral versus technical skills in IT project management by the industries versus academic departments? This paper adds to the research in industry-university competency expectations by presenting the results of a quantitative and qualitative survey of employers on the skills required in IT project management. By understanding the critical project management skills from the point of view of actual project managers/team members, the study provides further impetus for the re-examination of IT project management programs offered by universities and colleges.

Literature Review

Academic computing disciplines have had, at times, an uncertain relationship with industry expectations. Well-established disciplines tend to have their own well-established academic curricula which helps inculcate the intellectual framework needed for success in the field (Becher & Trowler, 2001). Such disciplines often feel less need to align curricula with industry expectations. Younger disciplines tend on the other hand to have less rigorously defined academic architectures. These more recent disciplines will also be more likely to be interested in aligning themselves, at least to a certain extent, with employer expectations. This is especially the case for computing disciplines for which there is strong employer demand for graduates.