Práticas de gerenciamento de riscos adotadas por gerentes de projetos de tecnologia da informação

Abstract

Risk management in IT projects is essential for making effective decisions. The current scenario highlights the strategic importance of organizations in dealing with threats and uncertainties. Organizations, whether public or private, have prioritized the treatment of threats and uncertainties in strategic planning and actions, highlighting the growing importance given to risk management. In this way, the research sought to answer the question about which risk management practices are adopted by IT project managers? The relevance of this study lies in the need to understand risk management in IT projects, highlighting the discrepancy between theory and practice in institutions. The objective of this research was to analyze the risk management practices adopted by IT project managers. The research adopted a descriptive and quantitative approach. The methodology for data collection procedures was the survey, using as a sample 175 IT project managers linked to the Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) in Ceará. Data collection was carried out using the structured questionnaire instrument. 129 managers participated in the research. To enrich the study, a segmentation of participating organizations was used in the data analysis, by their size (micro-enterprise to large companies) and nature (public, private, mixed economy, private non-profit and third sector organizations). The results indicated a predominance of project managers working in large private organizations, located in Ceará and with at least 10 years of experience. Some of the main findings were: (i) concern about the risk aspect of methodologies increased over time; (ii) constant changes in scope were perceived by micro and small companies as the main problem, influencing risks related to deadlines; (iii) there was an evolution in the recognition of risk management functionality in project management software; (iv) organizations prefer the development of their own software for risk management, however Microsoft Excel appeared as the most used software as a third-party option; (v) leadership and communication skills were more valued than those related to risk management; and (vi) minimizing risks and improving quality were the main benefits perceived with project management. There was also an emphasis on risk identification and monitoring processes, as well as a preference for hybrid project management approaches. The study provided a comprehensive overview of risk management practices in IT projects, highlighting areas of evolution and persistent challenges. The research suggests future studies on agile risk management in IT projects and a more in-depth analysis of risk and contingency reserves in organizations.