Impacts of Openness on the Success of Information System Development Research Projects

Information Systems Development (ISD) research projects are those in which the conduction of research is not possible without the development of a tangible ICT solution. ISD research projects face inherent tensions between the need for exploration (i.e. radical innovation) and exploitation (i.e. incremental innovation). This requires varying degrees of openness to balance the exploration of new opportunities and exploitation of existing capabilities. In this paper, we investigate the management of openness in ISD research projects and their impact on project success. Findings from three ISD research projects are outlined which offer contrasting approaches to the management of openness. Each management approach is then evaluated according to the perspectives of success in the balance scorecard for projects i.e. Financial, Customer, Internal Business, and Learning and Innovation. Finally, key learnings from the projects are presented, as well as concluding remarks on success in ISD research projects.