How effective are project management methodologies?

This article investigates the benefits and supports provided by project management methodologies (PMMs) to project managers for the management and delivery of information technology/information system (IT/IS) projects. Using a qualitative approach, through case study strategy, the role of PMMs is examined in different business and project contexts. This article evaluates the benefit of PMMs based on their traits and characteristics and investigates PMMs in their operational context: where PMMs come from and how they support practitioners. An inductive research method with exploratory case studies was used to investigate the research problem. Forty-eight respondents from 4 organizations were interviewed. Four case studies spanning disciplines, project contexts, and types of PMM provide anchorage into front-line management of IT/IS projects. The findings suggest a misalignment between the intended benefit of PMMs at the strategic level and the reported benefits by project managers at the project level.