How to manage IS requirements in complex public sector structures: toward an action design research approach

Abstract

Information systems (IS) are a key enabler to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the public sector. The realization of large IS projects, however, still remains a challenge in public administrations. One reason is that the complex task of IT governance in federal structures requires contributions from a large number of stakeholders. To address this challenge, we conducted Action Design Research in cooperation with different institutions of the German labor market and developed a requirements engineering process with a corresponding IT governance in the public sector that takes complex federal structures into account. The process was successfully implemented at the German Federal Employment Agency and proved valuable to deal with 146 municipal requirements regarding an IS in the context of unemployment benefits. Moreover, we derived four general success factors with a special attention on the interleaving of requirements engineering process and IT governance.