Kozarkiewicz, Alina

Article
General and specific: The impact of digital transformation
on project processes and management methods

Foundations of Management

Provided in Cooperation with:

Faculty of Management, Warsaw University of Technology

Suggested Citation: Kozarkiewicz, Alina (2020) : General and specific: The impact of digital
transformation on project processes and management methods, Foundations of Management, ISSN
2300-5661, De Gruyter, Warsaw, Vol. 12, Iss. 1, pp. 237-248, https://doi.org/10.2478/fman-2020-0018

This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/237018

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 Foundations of Management, Vol. 12 (2020)
eISSN 2300-5661, pISSN 2080-7279, DOI: 10.2478/fman-2020-0018 237

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC: THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

ON PROJECT PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT METHODS
Alina KOZARKIEWICZ
AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow,
POLAND e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: The main aim of the paper is to investigate and discuss the influence of digital transformation
(DT) on the processes, tools, and outcomes of project management. It seems to be accepted that not
only has the digital economy a great impact on the technologies used, but it affects the transition of
strategies, business models, structures, or competences. The objective of the research demonstrated in
this paper was to identify the main dimensions and scope of the impact of DT on the area of project
management. The conclusions as to the multidimensionality of this impact were drawn on the basis of
empirical inves- tigations conducted on a sample of around a hundred of project managers and on the
analyses of their perception of the most important aspects of DT. The crucial themes, as well as the
advantages and barriers of DT, were discussed briefly.
Keywords: change, disruption, project management, digital transformation, IT tools, agile methods,
team management.
JEL Classification: M10.

1 Introduction elaborated model recapitulating project management

transformation.
When analyzing the development of project manage-
The paper is constructed as follows: after the
ment as a particular area of knowledge, it is
delinea- tion of the theoretical framework and the
relatively easy to notice its multithreading and
main themes of digitally transformed project
multidimension- ality. Moreover, it can be noticed
management, I demonstrate the result of my
that the research topics are related to the current or
empirical research. My investigation has been
fashionable topics of management studies, resulting
conducted on a sample of around a hundred of
from the straightfor- ward assumption that projects
project managers and on the analyses of their
fit into the conditions of the organization they are
perception of the most important as- pects of DT.
performed. It is, therefore, not surprising that the
interest in new technologies and digital Coding and analyzing of research materials, sup-
transformation (DT) is also manifested in pro- ject ported by the MAXQDA 2020 system, are my foun-
research (e.g., Whyte, Stasis and Lindkvist, 2016; dation for revealing the multidimensionality of the
Papadonikolaki van Oel, and Kagioglou, 2019). The DT impact. I indicate the generic themes as well as
broadly understood processes of DT inspire topical the peculiar issues of project management transfor-
re- search on changes in project management. mation.
My paper is a part of such discussions. I explore here
the impact of DT upon the processes, tools, and out- 2 Digital transformation (DT)
comes of project management. I aim to add to previ-
ous research on changes in project management DT is an interesting phenomenon willingly discussed
draw- ing from a modification of existing models of both on scientific forums and in the media, during
DT, and my objective is to identify the main cor- porate gatherings, as well as various informal
dimensions and scope of such impact. A qualitative meet- ings. The recent explosion in the adoption of
research design is pursued through a cross-sectional digital technologies brought this topic to the
study. My findings from the analysis of the forefront of de- bates. DT affects everyone and in
respondents’ reflections are summarized as a set of almost all spheres
peculiar aftermaths and an
238 Alina KOZARKIEWICZ

of functioning. Its impact on organizations’ manage- The others include more complex terminology:
ment has been analyzed in numerous scientific an evolutionary process in which organizations re-
studies (e.g., Vial, 2019), as a catalyst for change spond to changes in the environment by using digital
(Yoo, 2013), allowing organizations to exploit new technologies to improve business models,
opportu- nities (Matt, Hess, and Benlian, 2015), operational processes, and to create value for
integrating digital technologies and business customers (Mo- rakanyane, Grace, and O'Reilly,
processes, poten- tially facilitating their 2017). A detailed re- view of the existing definitions
reconstruction and improve- ment (Fitzgerald, et al., has been summarized by G. Vial (2019). The author,
2014). Primarily, DT is re- lated to new digital as a conclusion, pro- poses an own complex
technologies and strategic changes in organizations, definition (Fig. 1): DT is a pro- cess in which digital
but current discussions concern such spheres as technologies play a central role both in creating and
communication, innovation, organizational and strengthening disruptive changes taking place in
individual competences (Berghaus and Back, 2016; industry (sector) and in society.
Warner and Wäger, 2019). The subjects of sci-
Disruptions drive strategic responses – companies
entific research – apart from product or technologies
to remain competitive, use digital technologies
– are, for example, entrepreneurship (Yoo, et al.,
to change the way they create value. To this end,
2012), digital generation (Prensky, 2012), business
how- ever, to overcome the barriers in
models and ecosystems (Berman, 2012; Remane,
transformation pro- cesses, they must simultaneously
et al., 2017), or digital shock (Andriole, 2017).
implement struc- tural changes. However, these
Prior studies and their review indicate a multitude changes not only lead to positive organizational
of existing definitions of DT. Some indicate syntheti- effects (which are often ac- companied by changes at
cally the essence, for example, the use of digital the individual or social level), but may also be
tech- nologies to radically improve the associated with undesirable re- sults (Vial 2019, p.
performance or scope of an enterprise (Westermann, 122).
et al., 2011).

Digital transformation strategy Structural changes,

+ changes in culture
Digital business strategy and in leadership

Negative
Disruptions: Use of new technologies: Changes in value
consumer expectations mobil creation
availability of data analitics
competitive landscape IoT
blockchain etc. Positive

Organizational
barriers

Figure 1. DT – basic components of definition (Source: Vial, 2019, pp.122)

DT involves two important constituents: digital tech- business model. A. Singh and T. Hess (2017, p.124)
nology and digital innovation. DT can be understood emphasize that the use of the term "transformation"
as changes in an organization triggered by the devel- (not "change") denotes that the organization must
opment of digital technologies, covering both the ex- go beyond functional thinking; it must comprehen-
ploitation of existing digital technologies to improve sively consider the coherence of activities aimed
current processes and the exploration of digital inno- at exploiting opportunities and avoiding threats aris-
vations that can potentially change the organization's ing from new digital technologies. D. Rogers (2016,
 General and Specific: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Project Processes and Management Methods 239

p.308) points out that DT does not only concern as they are assigned to specific projects, rather than
the implementation of new technologies, but is a to permanent organizational units.
change in the organization's strategy, as managers
The reflection on the impact of DT could be also fo-
have to find a way to capitalize on innovative
cused on the methodological change. Projects related
business models and products, as well as on
to DT are often called with the very broad term “IT
innovative pro- cesses, affecting customers’
projects.” For two decades, these have been managed
experience and under- standing of their expectations.
mainly on the basis of an agile approach (Dingsøyr,
et al., 2012). As new technologies are adopted in all
3 The influence of DT on project project-based industries, their use is breaking old
management rules, enabling more rapid and more agile forms of
or- ganizing (Whyte, Stasis and Lindkvist, 2016).
Prior studies confirm that DT has a significant Agility is not only becoming the preferred approach
impact not only on the technologies used, but also in the field of software development, agile practices
affects strategies, processes, customer relations, and appear as increasingly customary, offering an
the atti- tudes or expectations of employees impulse for the hybridization of project management
(Westermann, et al., 2011; Morakanyane, Grace and methodologies in various organizations.
O'Reilly, 2017; Vial, 2019). In this context, the
Furthermore, DT induces changes in project manage-
impact of DT on pro- ject management also seems
ment processes. Mobile hardware, cloud computing,
beyond discussion. How- ever, a very broad spectrum
or integrated software are commonly used for storage
of such impacts can be recognized: from extending
of data, automated search of information, as well
the scope of project activ- ities resulting from the
as prototyping and simulation functions (Whyte, Sta-
implementation of transforma- tional processes
sis, and Lindkvist, 2016). In this area,
(Nambisan, Wright, and Feldman, 2019), through the
communication in project teams (Guinan, Parise and
changes in project management methodologies,
Langowitz, 2019) and contacts with customers or
notably the increasing role of agile approaches
recipients of the project product are changing, for
(Whyte, Stasis, and Lindkvist, 2016), to changes in
example, owing to cloud-based technologies. For
the way particular processes, for example, team
instance, the use of BIM in construction projects has
communication, are implemented (Guinan, Parise,
become increas- ingly popular, because of project
and Langowitz, 2019). Digital technologies radically
benefits, such as time reduction, coordination
transform project roles and project delivery.
improvement, lower costs, and fewer returns for
The first of the indicated issues concerns information (Papadoniko- laki, van Oel and
projectifica- tion of management (Schoper, et al., Kagioglou, 2019). As a result of dig- itization and
2018) resulting from DT. Implementation of access to large data sets, the process of decision-
changes, and therefore transformation, is both a making modifies, just as its speed and quality. The
long-term strategic change and a specific strategy of widespread use of project management software and
the company, but it is also a set of projects the implementation of dedicated appli- cations
concerning individual stages or de- tailed facilitating project implementation refine the
technological solutions. DT could stimulate the approach to project planning and monitoring, includ-
growth in the number of projects, but also could ing, for example, continuous assessment of its effec-
influ- ence the perception of numerous activities that tiveness (Mangla, et al. 2020).
are re- ferred to as projects. Moreover, employees of
many enterprises are aware of the role of project
4 Research process
compe- tences; thus, they use the offered training or
certifica- tion programs. For example, employees
Empirical research sought answers to research ques-
more com- monly use the terminology traditionally
tions concerning the recognition of practitioners in-
associated with project management, perceiving
volved in the delivery of projects as to the impact
projects not as one-off projects, but rather as a
of DT upon project management. The issues under
permanent element of the company's core business.
re-
There are new rules for the allocation of resources
(including employees),
240 Alina KOZARKIEWICZ

search related to perceiving (or not) DT only as a assigned data. The data provided by the respondents
tech- nological area (IT tools) or rather as including indicated that 42% of the respondents were women,
a bun- dle of adaptations, for example, new rules of and that 59% of the respondents had experience
team co- operation or communication with other as project managers, the remaining respondents par-
stakeholders. The analyses carried out as part of this ticipated in the work of project teams, and 22% of
research, apart from identifying those areas of the respondents indicated that they represent the IT
project management that are modified most sec- tor.
significantly, contained also explorations of attitudes
The qualitative analyses were conducted with the
toward such changes, that is, the perceived positive
sup- port of dedicated software, that is, MAXQDA,
and negative sides in the con- text of project
ver- sion 2020. The research material was the
management.
subject of exploratory investigations in the form of
As the own research concerned perception, that is, lexical analyses, as well as analyses based on open
recognition, judgment, or understandings of the re- coding and close coding under the concept-driven
spondents, the use of qualitative methods seemed coding ap- proach. Five groups of codes were
to be required. The research was conducted in the exploited: factual codes related to phenomena
spring of 2019 with the computer-assisted personal described on the basis of respondents' experiences,
in- terviewing (CAPI; online) method. A simple thematic codes related to the specificity of projects
research tool containing one open question was used (definitions), models of DT existing in the
to collect the research material for further analysis. literature, codes in the form of evaluation
A short textual presentation of the issues was based categories related to the positive and negative sides
on the text: “A special type of change that affects of the transformation, and codes of the assessment of
modern organizations is digital transformation, i.e., significance (ranks) of the indicated as- pects of the
organizational changes that effect the penetration explored relationship.
of digital technologies through all aspects of the or-
ganization's operation, and results in the integration 5 Research results
of digital technologies and business processes, lead-
ing to the emergence of a new model of organization The concise review of the texts and topics
functioning.” Next, the following question was for- manifested in the respondents' opinions revealed that
mulated: What is the relationship between DT and six of them spoke rather about the transformation of
project management? Identify the three most im- enterprises implementing projects, ten works dealt
portant aspects, and justify your choice. The with both sub- jects: DT of projects and projects of
respond- ents were asked to write a short answer DT, and in 72 cases, the respondents focused solely
presenting their own conclusions, observations, or on projects, pro- ject teams, tools, and project
reflections. management processes.
The research sample was a judgmental (quota) sam- In the first stage of the exploration, the lexical re-
ple, as the investigation was addressed to a specific search, that is, the analysis of the vocabulary (termi-
group of respondents, and thus, the method of re- nology) used by the respondents in their statements,
spondents’ selection was derived from the snowball was conducted (Table 1). The assumption underlying
approach. It was decided to collect research material this type of research was the belief that the language
until 100 answers were obtained. After analyzing the used by the respondents can be considered as a
answers and selecting the texts, it was settled to take reflec- tion of their beliefs and experiences and
into account the statements of 88 respondents, 12 re- therefore the terms and their frequency construct
sponses were rejected because they contained too an image of the assigned meanings. As discovered
gen- eral discussion or negated the possibility of by the quan- titative analysis, the total of the
answering the question. analyzed text con- tained 22,842 various words, and
The survey metric was relatively limited; what is after eliminating the identified irrelevant words (e.g.,
more, the identification questions were not treated as is, was, pro- nouns, etc.). 6,353 words were taken
obligatory; hence, unfortunately, not all answers had into account in further research.
 General and Specific: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Project Processes and Management Methods 241

Table 1. The results of the primary lexical analysis (Source: Own research)

Word in the text Without inflection and basic terms

Number Number
No Word Word Varieties
of words of words
1 project 234 data 231 339
2 data 231 process 88 238
3 management 201 change 87 221
4 transformation 178 customer 59 195
5 digital 177 time 50 150
6 organization 172 tools 59 132
7 transformation 137 communication 59 122
8 digital 130 information 92 121
9 work 118 employee 81 120
10 management 103 resources 39 71

However, they were also different inflectional forms The next stage of the research was the analysis of re-
(declination and conjugation), but without taking spondents' perceptions of the most important aspects
into account the upper- and lower-case letters. As for of the relationship between DT and project manage-
clear reasons, the words: project, transformation, ment. The respondents' narratives were coded first
digital, organization, and management were us- ing open coding (about 40 codes) and then closed
dominant; the in- dicated words were removed from (19 codes). Table 2 presents the results of such an
the set. analysis by comparing the main aspects indicated in
It seems that on the basis of Table 1, an interesting the texts when regarding them as entire and full-
conclusion regarding the broad perception of the length, that is, with the abandonment of hierarchy,
meaning of DT can be formulated: in the group and the aspects indicated by the respondents in the
of words, there are both those related to technology, first place, that is, as the most important.
for example, data or IT tools, and those related to the
social issues, for example, customer or employee.

Table 2. Key aspects of the relationship between digital transformation and project management
(Source: Own research)

Excluding Number Indicated first Number

No.
the hierarchy of aspects of indications (most important) aspect of indications

1 data 41 data 13
2 IT tools / systems 41 IT tools 13
3 communication 40 communication 12
4 agile methodology 16 agile methodology 6
5 customer orientation 15 customer orientation 5
6 process optimization 12 process optimization 4
242 Alina KOZARKIEWICZ

Table 2. Key aspects of the relationship between digital transformation and project management (cont.)
(Source: Own research)
Excluding Number Indicated first Number
No.
the hierarchy of aspects of indications (most important) aspect of indications
7 management of knowledge 10 profitability 4
8 monitoring 9 business model 3
9 the role of the manager 6 competences 3
10 profitability 6 mobility 3
11 way of work 6 way of work 3
12 risk management 6 design 3
13 time / speed 5 virtualization 3
14 innovation 5 organizational culture 2
15 competences 5 team 2
16 mobility 5 profitability / efficiency 2
17 design 5 adaptation 1
18 cooperation 5 AI 1
19 resources 5 algorithms 1

According to the above demonstrated results, the ing communication processes (the use of tools sup-
most important aspects considered as the impact porting modern communication in project manage-
of DT on project management are as follows: ment is necessary in this case).
1) Access to data on the course of the project 3) Internal communication in project teams
possible for the entire team implementing the (Commu- nication with the entire team responsible
project, regard- less of the place of working (... for project implementation can take place in real
working groups in- volved in the project, having time without the need to meet in one place.
quick and easy access to the necessary data Currently, we can easily send technical
collected in the "cloud," can carry out their tasks documentation of any size and view it and edit it on
without having to delay them in time due to the lack screen, our mobile devices.) and with external
of the necessary information, as it used to be when stakeholders (partners who, thanks to new
the workflow of data in a "paper" form was technologies, have the opportunity to co-create and
functioning1), the speed of data processing and its improve products).
quality ensuring better management decisions, as
4) Project management methodology, or rather its
well as access to external data, essential for the im-
change toward the introduction of agile approaches
plementation.
(The first thing we notice is the widespread use of
2) IT tools supporting project management ag- ile methodologies in the area of project
processes (The use of digital technology greatly management. It is clearly visible that this approach
facilitates pro- ject management. Digital programs to projects ... is becoming more and more popular
are tools for ef- fective planning, management, and not only in the area of companies who may be most
control, thanks to which they increase their interested – es- pecially in the IT industry, but also
efficiency, contribute to their development, and in completely dif- ferent environments such as banks
increase profits.), embrac- or in various in- dustries.).

1
Texts in italics present the citations of respondents’ opinions.
 General and Specific: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Project Processes and Management Methods 243

5) Possibility of ensuring greater customer orienta- 6) Process optimization (... consists in changes re-
tion (They also allow the customer to constantly in- lated to clearing business processes and liquidating
volve the customer in every stage of the business – information silos), shortening the time of their imple-
through websites, applications, notifications, fun mentation (process automation allows for shortening
pages, promotions, etc. They also give them the op- the time of carrying out a given task, which in turn
portunity to have a real impact on certain activities, translates into the entire project) and improved mon-
because you must be aware of this, that nowadays itoring (Virtually, all processes are controlled by in-
cus- tomers are not just passive consumers. They dicators, and the results are analyzed).
expect almost partnership treatment.).
.

Table 3. Changes in project management in relation to the specificity of projects

(Source: Own research)

Changes perceived by respondents Respondents’ opinions

1) Project outcome
the outcome of the project (product) …also the purpose of the project changes during its implementation
is not precisely defined at the beginning or is not even fully defined until the final stages of the project
of the implementation
less focus on day-to-day operational ac- Digital technologies make it much easier for project managers
tivities allows for greater focus on goals to focus on results by setting goals ...
and results
2) Time – temporality, specific start and end of a project
shortening the implementation time Process automation allows managers to shorten the time spent on
thanks to IT tools a particular project, improve the management of the entire project ...
shortening the project delivery time - organizing online meetings. This change not only reduces the time ...
thanks to better communication
the time of reaction to changes, includ- … Reaction time in unforeseen situations is particularly important
ing the unpredictable ones, is shortened in terms of the duration of the entire project
3) Team performance
work online (remote, virtual), no need The project team no longer has to be composed of people working to-
for direct contact and common location gether in one place. The multitude of digital platforms for project man-
agement equipped with instant messaging and videoconferencing allow
for remote work ...
efficient recruitment and the possibility requires project managers to integrate a dispersed team, sometimes
of acquiring specialists and experts from even in different time zones, but also gives the opportunity to
around the world recruit specialists for the project that they could not find in their
territorial
area, and bring them ... would be unprofitable for the project
project teams are becoming interna- … Providing a common language of communication for multicultural
tional, new challenges of multicultural project teams. And it is not about overcoming the language barrier as
management and diversity management such, but about ensuring that all team members have the same under-
standing of the tasks and know what the expected results are.
4) Limited resources
improving the allocation and monitor- Data sharing tools such as Sharepoint can reduce both time and
ing of resources thanks to IT tools cost.
easier access to human resources, ... the restrictions resulting from the location of employees in the
no restrictions resulting from their lo- world have disappeared
cation
new opportunities to reduce costs This change not only reduces the time, but also reduces the cost
of travel, per diem and hotel rental.
244 Alina KOZARKIEWICZ

Table 3. Changes in project management in relation to the specificity of projects (cont.)

(Source: Own research)

Changes perceived by respondents Respondents’ opinions

5) Risks
faster identification of threats enables faster identification of threats, much better control
of threats during the duration of projects (e.g., by ongoing control
of project costs) ...
more precise, multi-faceted threat ... access to data along with their analysis enables prediction
prediction of threats and risks related to both external and internal factors
use of available data and their the possibility of cataloguing and using in subsequent projects ex-
processing periences from projects implemented ...
use of modern technologies, including Having access to current data, it is possible to reliably assess ...
AI the occurrence of risk and its impact on a particular stage of the
project. In the implementation phase, you can easily monitor risks
-
both positive and negative
6) Specific management methods
increasing importance of agile method- directing project teams towards using agile management methods…
ologies
traditional methods and techniques budgeting, planning, and risk calculation, which have been known
have been programmed, most of the in the literature for several decades, have been implemented
computational and visualization work in computer applications ... tools such as MS Project, SpiraTeam,
through IT tools Jira, and many others (also dedicated to specific industries or com-
panies) do most of the computational work
hybridization of project management ... the use of technical solutions and the availability of information
methodologies resulting in changes in the late stages of the project may reduce
the share of "traditional" methodologies

It can be concluded that the impact of DT, according As part of this research, closed coding was carried
to the respondents, concerns both general issues, typ- out based on the distinguished characteristics, such
ical for a company undergoing DT (e.g., process as a specific result, a specific time, team execution,
opti- mization) and specific to projects and project lim- ited resources, implementation risk, and special
manage- ment (e.g., management methodology). man- agement methods. The results of this stage of
Therefore, in the next stage of the research, the focus the study have been presented in the form of a table
was put on the peculiarity of projects’ (Ta- ble 3) containing noticed changes together with
transformation. Consequently, the attention in the quo- tations of respondents' opinions, illustrating
analyses was di- rected toward the perceived changes typical reflections appearing in the discussion.
in relation to the most important characteristics of When summing up the results demonstrated above,
the project. the significance of IT tools and the increasing popu-
Considering the definition of the project: a complex, larity of agile project management are to be under-
unique undertaking (an organized sequence of activi- lined. IT systems and applications for project
ties) aimed at a specific result, within a specified manage- ment could impact significantly all above-
time, with a distinguished beginning and end, mentioned characteristics, allowing project managers
implemented as a team, using a limited amount of to focus on goals, not daily operations, shortening
resources, asso- ciated with a high level of risk, and the time of planning and monitoring, decision-
thus requiring the use of special preparation and making (thanks to the available data), ensuring better
implementation meth- ods (Trocki, 2013, pp.19-20), access to resources (such as labor), and the ability to
the most important fea- tures of the project activity reduce costs, as well as enabling risk identification
were identified. and faster responses.
 General and Specific: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Project Processes and Management Methods 245

Table 4. Positive and negative sides of DT from project management perspective

(Source: Own research)

Positive impact
1) Project effectiveness, including cost savings, re- ... we can purchase a software subscription needed only
ducing the time spent on ineffective activities for a given project, taking into account the time and
(e.g. travel), selection of resources and their needs of the team
proper al-
location
2) The possibility of allocating the time saved as a ... changing the profile of the desired project manager
re- sult of eliminating repetitive and tedious from a person scrupulously performing repetitive calcu-
calcula- tions for creative and adding value lations to an employee characterized primarily by crea-
activities tivity
3) Shortening the project delivery time thanks to au- today, using costing software, we are able to directly
tomation, new tools supporting project manage- load the bill of quantities from the project into the soft-
ment ware
4) Ability to use a large amount of current data, real- saves all project component data in the same way, a
time access, and fast data processing new person in the project or a new manager is able to
easily implement and read the project and continue the
work
5) Mobility and the possibility of remote cooperation you do not even need a computer to use the data to work
on the project, all you need is a tablet or smartphone
6) Flexibility of work and results ... the availability of digital methodologies starts the era
of independent, self-organizing and more flexible
project management
7) Improvement of risk management processes in the ... much better control of threats during the project du-
project, identification of risk sources, quick re- ration, e.g., by ongoing control of project costs
sponse to threats
8) Improving the relationship with the client or re- focusing on areas related to the client's experience
cipient of the project product, improving commu- and better understanding of his needs
nication, better recognizing the needs and expec-
tations of the client or end user
9) Positive impact on communication in the team communication between individual team members and
and cooperation the trend related to agile management ... affects the
team management model itself, in which the project
manager plays the role of facilitator rather than
manager
10) Improving knowledge management in the project universal access to knowledge about the project for
the team and clients - Jira / Confluence platforms allow
easy documentation, testing, and modification of pro-
jects by various stakeholders

Negative impact
1) information overload, information noise, redun- ... the amount of information we receive from col-
dant data that requires constant prioritization or leagues is often so large that we are not able to read
plausibility checks them all
2) required expenditure for the implementation ... digital transformation is perceived as an additional
of new digital solutions, for new systems and ap- cost
plications
3) risk of data loss, undesirable access, or industrial data that is sensitive to an enterprise or project may
espionage or as a result of a planned hacking at- leak outside the organization, either as a result of negli-
tack gence, e.g., a lost unencrypted flash drive
4) the need to acquire new competences, the compe- the manager should be proficient in using or at least
tences held may turn out to be insufficient, the understanding these tools to efficiently perform the
need for continuous training and learning tasks entrusted to him
246 Alina KOZARKIEWICZ

The agility of the approaches (methodologies) results The most important advantages and drawbacks of
from the need to adapt to changes in the DT, assigned to the domain of project management,
environment, as well as from the incremental are demonstrated in Table 4.
creation of project products. Moreover, it is a
Summing up, it is possible to point to the predomi-
consequence of the imple- mentation of numerous IT
nance of positive opinions and the perception of
projects, promoting and supporting the diffusion of
rather positive sides of the changes caused by DT,
knowledge and skills in the use of agile practices.
superior functioning of the organization, and the
It can also be noticed that the word that appears very improved de- livery of projects in the new conditions
often in the context of time is shortening, and not of the digital economy.
meeting the deadline. Shortening the implementation
is perceived as the effect of the use of IT tools, auto-
mation, cooperation, and solving problems in real 6 Discussion and summary of research results
time, working on shared data and files, as well as
mo- bility and decision-making at any time or DT is one of the important phenomena considered as
anywhere. a crucial factor shaping contemporary project man-
agement, not only as to processes or methods, but
A similarity can be discovered when analyzing opin-
also in the broad economic and social context.
ions about the project's resources, also here the re-
spondents paid attention not so much to limited re- Summarizing the results of the empirical research
sources as to the lack of limitations in obtaining hu- pre- sented above, one can refer to the question
man resources. regarding the impact of DT in two perspectives:
transformation, that is, change and its
The traditional approach to project management,
implementation in the organi- zation (including:
based on the use of methods of optimizing the course
business design), as well as the re- sults of changes
of the project over time, meeting deadlines as a key
related to the digitization of products and processes,
success factor or minimizing resources to ensure
in the form of automation, new remote collaboration
prof- itability, has been replaced by an approach
technologies, data access or access to work
based on incremental product development, by a
resources.
mobile, col- laborative online team using modern IT
tools, and dealing with data and experience as an Undoubtedly, this opens up a wide field for
important pro- ject resource. discussion about the outcomes of such changes in
relation to pro- ject management, both from the
The next part of the research was directed toward the
“hard” perspective of tools or process optimization,
recognition of the respondents’ perception of
and from the “soft” perspective of team
positive and negative sides of DT. Most of the
collaboration, new roles and man- agement practices.
respondents positively assessed the impact of DT, as
evidenced by the general tone of many statements In consequence, the changes lead to both the
and a relatively large lexical group containing words expected positive effects (shortening the time,
such as improve- ment, development, speed, and effectiveness of project delivery) and negative ones,
efficiency. for example, related to the emergence of new risks.
Based on the analysis of the coded fragments, the The results of the empirical research demonstrated
pos- itive and negative sides of the transformation above can be presented synthetically by referring
were distinguished and divided into these that were to the Vial (2019) model presented earlier in this pa-
clearly assigned to the project (they appeared in the per.
context of project management terminology) and A simplified model of adaptive changes in project
general comments, assessing the impact not only on management induced by DT is demonstrated in Fig.
the pro- ject, but on the entire organization. 2.
 General and Specific: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Project Processes and Management Methods 247

Virtual project teams

Online, constant communication
Agile methods
Customer orientation and incremental
Change process product delivery
Projectification of activities Project manager as facilitator

Positive:
effectiveness
Disruptions : Effects:
Changes creativity
New technologies process automation
in project quick response time
Customer expectations implementation of new technologies
management
Competitive landscape remote cooperation
Data and analytics world sourcing Negative:
new structures cost,
risk,
information noise
Optimization of processes of project
delivery
Constant access to data
IT tools

Figure 2. Model of the impact of DT on project management

(Source: Own research)

7 Concluding remarks intelligence and automation will not be without im-

pact on the management of organizations. Project
The last decade has witnessed an increase in interests management in such new, changing conditions will
in digital economy and induced challenges. The im- remain at the center of attention for the coming
pact of DT on project management constitutes a very years.
broad and complex research field. It is also, undoubt-
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