Bridging IS and Project Management: A Framework for Understanding IS Project Specificity

This study investigates how academic literature justifies the distinctiveness of Information Systems (IS) projects. While often viewed as difficult to manage, there remains no shared understanding of what makes IS projects unique. Based on a structured review of 137 articles from leading project management journals, the paper synthesizes the main arguments describing their specificities. Using the theoretical lens of temporary organizations, justifications are mapped across five dimensions: Task, Team, Time, Transition, and Context. Beyond recurring themes—such as technological uncertainty, stakeholder complexity, and strategic embeddedness—the analysis reveals cross-dimensional patterns, including blurred boundaries between task and team or between project and organizational time. These features contribute to unstable coordination and temporal uncertainty. The study proposes a conceptual framework that clarifies the distinct nature of IS projects and encourages dialogue between IS and project management communities, offering a foundation for future theorizing on IS project dynamics in volatile environments.