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RESEARCH CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS of NAS of Ukraine (KHARKIV, UKRAINE)

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Liburkina L. M.

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Implementation of IT Projects As a Tool of Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Hanechko I. H., Afanasyev K. M.

Hanechko, Iryna H., and Afanasyev, Kostyantyn M. (2026) “Implementation of IT Projects As a Tool of Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.” Business Inform 9:121–132.
https://doi.org/10.32983/2222-4459-2026-9-121-132

Section: Problems of Business

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Abstract:
The article is devoted to the study of implementation of IT projects as a tool for the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the opinion that the efficient implementation of IT projects is a key driver of SME adaptation to the requirements of the digital economy, enabling business process optimisation, scalability, and sustained competitiveness. The aim of the article is to substantiate the IT project as a key tool for the digital transformation of SMEs and to develop adaptive models for its management, taking into account the resource constraints of enterprises. Research methods were: analysis and synthesis of scientific sources, comparative and empirical data analysis. The study identifies and substantiates the main directions of digitalisation’s impact on SME activity: reduction of administrative costs, expanded access to financing, enhanced competitiveness, and optimisation of staffing. Digital transformation of an enterprise is considered as a managed process of transition from traditional to digital business models, and the specificity of IT projects in SMEs is shown. The research results indicate the limited efficiency of classical large-business management methodologies for SMEs, determining the need to apply simplified and hybrid management approaches. A comparative analysis of SaaS solutions and custom development for SME IT projects showed that, for the majority of small-business IT projects, the choice of ready-made SaaS solutions is economically and managerially substantiated, whereas custom development for a medium-sized enterprise is warranted when the losses from adapting business processes to a standard SaaS solution exceed the budget and project risks of custom development. An uneven pattern of SME digital transformation was revealed: for basic digital indicators (internet access), the gap between small, medium, and large enterprises is virtually absent, whereas for complex corporate systems the gap widens, which is an indicator of insufficient project managerial capacity among enterprises. On this basis, typical barriers to IT project implementation in SMEs were systematised (resource-related, competence-related, organisational-psychological, and technological), and adapted management models were proposed: simplified Agile approaches, phased implementation, and prioritisation of ready-made SaaS solutions over custom development. The practical value of the results lies in their applicability for SME owners and managers to increase the likelihood of successfully completing digitalisation projects under resource constraints, as well as for public economic policy bodies to improve business digitalisation support programmes.

Keywords: IT project; digital transformation; digital economy; small and medium-sized enterprises; project management; adaptive management models; optimisation; efficiency indicators.

Fig.: 1. Tabl.: 5. Bibl.: 22.

Hanechko Iryna H. – Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Department of Enterprise Economics and Finance, State University of Trade and Economics (19 Kіoto Str., Kyiv, 02156, Ukraine)
Email: [email protected]
Afanasyev Kostyantyn M. – Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, State University of Trade and Economics (19 Kіoto Str., Kyiv, 02156, Ukraine)
Email: [email protected]

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