Specialist for qualification and competence counselling, Soner Hewelt started his career in the automotive sector at the internationally operating automotive company AUDI AG. He is currently a member of a group initiative led by AUDI AG dealing with the topic of predictive competence analysis in the production sector.
In March 2023, he defended his Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA) on the topic of “Determinants for a successful management of IT projects within the German automotive sector” under the supervision of Professor Anne Bartel-Radic, Professor at the Université Grenoble Alpes.
Thesis Direction
Pr. Anne Bartel-Radic
Thesis Title
Determinants of successful management of IT projects within the German automotive sector
Abstract
This dissertation pursues the question of the extent to which individual and environ-mental determinants can favour the successful management of IT projects within the German automotive sector in the age of digital transformation. With the aim of an-swering the research questions, comprehensive literature analyses are carried out order to elaborate the theoretical foundations of digital and classic key competences as well as the implications environmental factors of IT projects, within the context of digital transformation of the automotive industry.
In the empirical part of this work, the topic of individual and environmental determi-nants is dealt with by means of guided interviews with experts, which are then evalu-ated on the basis of qualitative content analysis following Mayring´s (2015) metho-dology. The focus of the interviews is particularly on the subjective perception of the interview partners. The results from the qualitative analysis showed that certain con-textual conditions are necessary for the acquisition and development of key compe-tences. Based on this, a modern and cooperative management culture that allows IT project managers to act on their own responsibility, appears as a significant factor in maximising individual key competences.
Furthermore, the research results showed that in connection with the project envi-ronment factors, it would be purposeful that all necessary project-related decisions and responsibilities were made by the IT project managers in order to ensure robust IT project realisation. Over the course of this work, it was possible to identify connec-tions between theory and findings from practice, which represent the key compe-tences and project environment factors as a substantial prerequisite in dealing with digital challenges. In particular, the fact that the IT project landscape is undergoing a change in its process methodology from classic to agile and thus faster project man-agement processes shows the disruptive changes and necessities of distinctive key competences as well as progressive project environment in everyday IT project work.
In this context, training measures, which are focusing to the combination of digital and classic key competences, are also seen as a success factor. The findings from this dissertation point to a need for further research, so that the practice-oriented results from this work could form the basis for further research in the field of key competences of IT project managers and the project-related environmental factors. The dissertation contains recommendations for action for practice in two respects, a method for self-assessment and external assessment of competences for different IT project categories, as well as a checklist for project environment factors.