Externalities of Design Science Research: Preparation for Project Success

Abstract

AbstractThe success of design science research (DSR) projects depends upon substantial preparation and foresight. The externalities of DSR projects, however, are too often overlooked or given short shrift as the research team wants to ‘hit the ground running’ to design and build creative solutions to interesting, real-world problems. Frequently, this rush leads to an incomplete understanding of the opportunities and constraints in the project problem, solution, and evaluation spaces, resulting in significant changes and rework. In this research, we propose a model of four essential externalities for DSR projects. Attention to each externality is vital and requires important preparatory activities that entail attention to external impacts of the project’s results. The implications of the DSR Externalities Model are discussed and future research directions suggested.KeywordsExternalitiesDesign science researchKnowledge basesGovernanceOperational interventionResourcesDSR externalities model