An Exploratory-Comparative Study of Implementation Success Factors for MSS/DMSS and MIS

Abstract

This research paper presents a novel complementary approach to the system implementation research stream by comparing implementation success factors for management support systems (MSS), also called decision-making support systems, (DMSS) and management information systems (MIS). Data were collected over a 14-year period from 132 information technology (IT) practitioners from an industrialized region in Mexico and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). While implementation success factors for MSS/DMSS and MIS have been studied previously, few comparative studies have been reported. Differences in implementation success factors between MSS/DMSS and MIS were found. Three clearly identified implementation success factors were found for MIS (i.e., project management, organizational feasibility and IT resources), and two factors emerged for MSS/DMSS with mixed items (i.e., system-organization-technical feasibility, and alignment between users, team, system and organization). The results indicate that achieving MSS/DMSS implementation success is more complex than for MIS. Although exploratory in nature, the comparative differences offer guidance to IT practitioners in implementing such systems and contribute to the MSS/DMSS literature with insights on implementation success factors that are unique to this type of IT system.