Paper Type
Complete Research Paper
Description
This paper illustrates how we build on psycholinguist Herbert Clark (1996)´s works to develop a project management tool that would contribute to higher project success rates. Prior literature on IS project success/failure and coordination failed to grasp the emergence of projects and did not specifically address the interactions between the project´s participants. This literature did not give coherent explanations as to why and how project failure occurs and did not provide project actors with tools to act in real time to avoid failure. Since language is the main mechanism through which participants get coordinated, we suggest using a linguistics approach to design a tool that helps project´s participants manage their project in real-time. We assume that Clark´s (1996) theory has the potential to improve our understanding of IS project success/failure. From a previous study based on a Design Science research, we adapted and instantiated Clark´s theory. This paper aims at strengthening this adaptation to IS project management by presenting a step toward this direction: a new instantiation to design a tool in the form of a mobile application (called Coopilot App). This new instantiation provides a means to visualize and materialize common ground in real-time during project meetings.
APPLYING PSYCHOLINGUISTIC CONCEPTS TO IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL DESIGN
This paper illustrates how we build on psycholinguist Herbert Clark (1996)´s works to develop a project management tool that would contribute to higher project success rates. Prior literature on IS project success/failure and coordination failed to grasp the emergence of projects and did not specifically address the interactions between the project´s participants. This literature did not give coherent explanations as to why and how project failure occurs and did not provide project actors with tools to act in real time to avoid failure. Since language is the main mechanism through which participants get coordinated, we suggest using a linguistics approach to design a tool that helps project´s participants manage their project in real-time. We assume that Clark´s (1996) theory has the potential to improve our understanding of IS project success/failure. From a previous study based on a Design Science research, we adapted and instantiated Clark´s theory. This paper aims at strengthening this adaptation to IS project management by presenting a step toward this direction: a new instantiation to design a tool in the form of a mobile application (called Coopilot App). This new instantiation provides a means to visualize and materialize common ground in real-time during project meetings.