Toward the development of contingency theory on the use of project management tools and techniques

The search for critical success factors has been one of the major themes in project management literature. That search has revealed several issues. First, many of these factors are beyond the control of project managers. Next, of the factors that can be under the control of project managers, the literature scantily addresses the importance of how the use of project management tools and techniques (PMTTs) can impact project performance. Additionally, the extant literature argues that the same PMTTs can be utilized for managing any type of project without differences in performance. In contrast, some new suggestions and research support the premise of a contingency theory of project management, where different project situations call for different use of PMTTs.; To respond to the issues, this study contributes to the development of a contingency theory on the use of PMTTs by answering two questions: (1) Which PMTTs are used by project managers in different project situations? and (2) Which PMTTs are the contributors to project performance in different project situations? To answer the questions, we utilized a large sample survey study and analyzed 39 PMTTs in different project situations. The results of the analyses showed that: (1) Six PMTTs are frequently used in every situation. (2) All PMTTs are used differently across the phases of the project life cycle, and some are used differently across the other situations. (3) There are differences in how PMTTs contribute to project performance in different situations. (4) Two PMTTs are consistently found to have positive impact on project success: contingency plan and communication plan . (5) In contrast, negative correlations between the use of four PMTTs and project success are consistently found: project change log, project change request, schedule crashing, and scope statement.; The contributions of this dissertation are twofold. Academically, the study findings bring about new knowledge and improve the contingency theory on the use of PMTTs in different project situations. Practically, the study can be used as a set of guidelines for project managers to properly select the PMTTs that match the characteristics of their projects.