Research Survey Participation

Request to Solicit Survey Participation

Thank you for your interest in working with the Project Management Institute of New Jersey (PMINJ) to recruit participants for your research study.

Answer the questions on the downloadable form to tell us about your study and the participant experience. This information will assist readers in determining whether they wish to participate in the study. We will evaluate the completeness of this information and let you know if additional information is required to inform potential participants about the study.

 

If you are in the early stages of research design and have not yet determined how to answer the questions on the form, or if you have any other questions regarding this form, email .

Disclaimer: Distribution of research participant recruitment notices by PMINJ is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of the proposed research.

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Shauna Powell - School of Business, Technology, and Health Care Administration at Capella University

A Qualitative Study Of Graduates Experiences Applying Agile Education In The IT Workforce

Shauna Powell is a student in the School of Business, Technology, and Health Care Administration at Capella University. She would like you to participate in a voluntary research study on agile education. As part of her doctoral education program, she is seeking participants for a research study on how graduates experience the effectiveness of their agile education when applied in the IT workforce. She would like you to participate in the study or pass the information to friends, family, or colleagues who may also be interested in learning about this research study. Share her contact information listed below.

Existing research confirmed that…

• Within the last few decades, many organizations have adopted agile methods to address the challenges of the rapidly changing industry (Olteanu, 2018).
• The widespread adoption of agile methods has increased employers' demand for IT professionals with agile experience (Rush & Connolly, 2020)
• Adopting a new way of work also means that IT graduates will enter a workforce where the use of the agile methodology is the standard (Gannod et al., 2018).
• Working within an agile environment requires a practical understanding of the principles, methods, and cadences as well as an agile mindset (Miler & Gaida, 2019).
• In response to the IT industry changes and employer demand, agile methods are being increasingly adopted in higher education (Cico et al., 2021).

This study may…

• Provide the foundation for a more relevant IT education experience through closer alignment between academia and IT workforce requirements.
• Help ensure future IT graduates gain practical workforce skills that are relevant to the contemporary IT workforce.
• And inform the integration and application of agile methods as a teaching and learning approach for higher education in the future.

Survey

You can participate in the study if you:

• Have earned a degree in Information Technology within the last five years (must include one or more classes within your degree program taught using agile education methods as a pedagogical strategy or to deliver a course project).
• Are currently employed and working in an agile or specialty role.
• Are working within an organization that has achieved a minimum of walk agile maturity level or higher; that is, the organization or agile teams have started practicing Agile but are still learning and need support.
• Are actively working on a project(s) using the agile methodology.
• Are a part of a program, product, or agile project team.
• Have not held an agile certification for more than six months while working in an agile or specialty role.
• Have not worked in an agile workplace for more than 36 months, before earning an Information Technology or related degree.

During the study, an interview will be used for data collection. The interview will be conducted via Zoom or using a standard or cell phone. This will take 30-45 minutes.

• Review and eSign the informed consent – 5 minutes
• On the day of the interview:
• (Zoom or Phone) – <5 minutes
• Review the eligibility information, and consent form, reconfirm your interest, and answer any additional questions you may have.
• Ask permission to start the audio (only) recording. If you agree, the recording will start, and the interview will begin.
• During the interview: 15 - 20 minutes
• Answer questions about your graduate experience and describe the effectiveness of your agile education when applied in the IT workforce.
• Answer questions about your educational experience and entering the agile workforce.
• Answer questions about the agile work environment.
• Answer questions about the effectiveness of applying agile education in the workforce.
• At the conclusion of the interview: 10 minutes
• There will be time allotted for you to make additional comments. Information will be provided about the next steps. Shauna will confirm your preferred email address to make your interview transcript available within 12 days to ensure the responses are accurately captured.
• You will be asked to review the transcript, verify if it accurately reflects your experience, and respond with any necessary corrections or additions.

To participate in the study, contact Shauna Powell at email: svpowell@ymail.com OR phone: 919-279-3124

Dr Te Wu - Montclair and
Dr Thomas Lechler - Stevens Institute

Calling all PMINJ members who work as project portfolio management professionals! If you are a project management professional, this one-of-a-kind study may interest you.  As you surely know already, there is limited resources and knowledge in this discipline. Some of the key reasons include:

• portfolio management is relatively new;
• most organizations are still struggling with project management so there is no time for portfolio management;
• a significant gap between academic research, standards, and practice.
  

This study builds a more fundamental understanding of how portfolio management is practiced. This way, future research can be better aligned with the application. For portfolio management professionals, findings here can help them shape their own portfolios. 

Project portfolio management is one of the latest frontiers in project management, both in research and in practice. PMI studies have shown that organizations who practices portfolio management competently achieve greater value. Yet, advancement has been tediously slow. The reasons are many, but one of the core problems is the disconnect between research and practice. 

Academic papers are dense, narrowly focused, and often written in an abstract language that can be difficult to understand.  On the other side, practitioner studies are often anecdotal, which can be interesting but lack rigor.  This study strives to close this gap by focusing on getting input from professionals in a more rigorous questionnaire.  Just as important, this study focuses on exploring the landscape of project portfolio management. The focus on landscape is foundational to the understanding of this discipline as it would encourage researchers to design studies that are more applicable to the real world. For portfolio management professionals working in the field, they can use the findings from this study to serve as benchmark as they build and improve their practices.

Currently, our research received over 130 valid responses from project portfolio management professionals from a variety of industries, geographies, organization sizes, and level of portfolios.  The findings to date reveal a complicated practice of project portfolio management, showing a complex and varied landscape. Here are just three interesting findings out of nearly twenty:

1. Only a quarter of portfolio managers are fully dedicated to managing portfolios. Most portfolio management professionals, nearly 55%, spent less than 50% of their time on portfolio management activities.
2. Portfolios can exist at all levels of their organization, even though they are more popular at the enterprise level (versus departmental, product, or team levels).
3. Less than 20% of portfolio managers are fully accountable for their portfolio’s performance. Equal percentage of portfolio managers, at 40% each, plays supportive or semi-accountable roles.
   

The two investigators of this study are Dr. Te Wu from Montclair State University and Dr. Thomas Lechler from Stevens Institute of Technology.  Even though our sample of 130 valid responses are “good enough”, we are hoping to have more inputs to improve the robustness and richness of our findings.

Survey

Help us and help yourself by completing this questionnaire by August 30, 2022:

Survey Link

This study is confidential, and it does not ask for your information. Participants (or anyone who is interested) can request a copy of the study (target to be completed by early 2023) and also to receive a coupon of 20% off for PMO Advisory’s bootcamps for PfMP and PgMP by completing a separate form.