Cobit 5-Based Approach for IT Project Portfolio Management: Application to a Moroccan University

Considering the problem of the management of IT project portfolios in universities, University managers face a lot of uncertainties when prioritizing projects that make up their portfolio. The alignment with their strategy becomes a major challenge and constitutes one of the essential elements of a governance approach. To overcome this challenge, the implementation of a project prioritization approach adapted to the university’s strategy, vision and culture is essential. In this context, this paper aims to provide a multi-criteria approach based on a combination of AHP and TOPSIS methodologies for the selection and prioritization of IT projects in universities. The main feature of our approach is the use of COBIT 5, its principles and enablers as prioritization criteria. In order to validate our model, project portfolio managers of a Moroccan public university were involved to evaluate the criteria and to prioritize their projects. This research demonstrates that the combined use of Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodologies proves to be suitable for the implementation of COBIT sub-process APO05.03.

[1]  Antonio Carlos Gastaud Maçada,et al.  The impact of adopting IT governance on financial performance: An empirical analysis among Brazilian firms , 2014, Int. J. Account. Inf. Syst..

[2]  Vanessa Chang,et al.  Adoption and implementation of IT governance: cases from Australian higher education , 2006 .

[3]  L. Diamond.  IT Governance : How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results , 2005 .

[4]  Petter Gottschalk,et al.  Information Technology Strategy and Management: Best Practices , 2008 .

[5]  Thomas L. Saaty,et al.  DECISION MAKING WITH THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS , 2008 .

[6]  Hans-Henrik Hvolby,et al.  Establishing a Business Process Reference Model for Universities , 2012, CENTERIS 2012.

[7]  P. Patanakul.  Key attributes of effectiveness in managing project portfolio , 2015 .

[8]  D. Jonas.  Empowering project portfolio managers: How management involvement impacts project portfolio management performance , 2010 .

[9]  Jorge Vareda Gomes,et al.  Improving Project Success: A Case Study Using Benefits and Project Management , 2016, CENTERIS/ProjMAN/HCist.

[10]  Dragan Z. Milosevic,et al.  A two-way influence between business strategy and project management , 2006 .

[11]  Intensitas,et al.  Analytical Hierarchy Process , 2017 .

[12]  Judith Borreson Caruso,et al.  Process and Politics: IT Governance in Higher Education , 2008 .

[13]  Souad Ahriz,et al.  Representing IT Projects Risk Management Best Practices as a Metamodel , 2017 .

[14]  Chanelle Austin,et al.  Application of Project Management in Higher Education , 2013 .

[15]  Souad Ahriz,et al.  Developing an Assessment Tool of ITIL Implementation in Small Scale Environments , 2017 .

[16]  Ryan Peterson,et al.  Crafting Information Technology Governance , 2004, Inf. Syst. Manag..

[17]  Kexin Zhao,et al.  Impact of IT Governance and IT Capability on Firm Performance , 2016, Inf. Syst. Manag..

[18]  Steven De Haes,et al.  Enterprise Governance of Information Technology: Achieving Strategic Alignment and Value , 2009 .

[19]  Tim Huygh,et al.  Adoption and Impact of IT Governance and Management Practices: A COBIT 5 Perspective , 2016, Int. J. IT Bus. Alignment Gov..

[20]  H. Gemünden,et al.  Enforcing strategic fit of project portfolios by project termination: An empirical study on senior management involvement , 2012 .

[21]  James R. Burns,et al.  Relationships between project governance and information technology governance and their impact on project performance , 2018 .

[22]  Pontus Johnson,et al.  Model-Based IT Governance Maturity Assessments with Cobit , 2007, ECIS.

[23]  W. Duncan.  A GUIDE TO THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE , 1996 .

[24]  W. V. Grembergen.  IT Governance and Its Mechanisms , 2004 .

[25]  Prasong Praneetpolgrang,et al.  Information technology governance practices based on sufficiency economy philosophy in the Thai university sector , 2015, Inf. Technol. People.

[26]  Bill Walton,et al.  From Business Strategy to IT Action: Right Decisions for a Better Bottom Line , 2004 .