Information System Project Research Articles

Integration and Scaling in an E-Government Project

Purpose: Scaling is an important concern in the management of Information Systems projects. E-Government projects are no exception to the challenges of scaling. The problem is more severe because of a large and diverse population of target users and more crucial because of vulnerability of the target population in case of failure of such initiatives (in projects like public distribution system of food). In spite of a significant awareness of its importance among implementers, scaling still remains a challenge. This paper examines this important issue. Design/Methodology/Approach: The case study method has been used to demonstrate the relationship between integration and scaling of e-Government projects. This study employs analytic generalization from field case as a method to theorize a broad framework for integration of ICT projects. The context of this study is an e-Government project in West Bengal, India. The selection of the case involved theoretical sampling apart from considerations for possibility of access to the project and its appropriateness with respect to the topic under study. Findings: Five different levels of integration in e-Government projects viz., Interface, Data, Electronic communication, Application and Knowledge have been identified. Further it has been demonstrated that each of these integration mechanisms impacts scaling of e-Government projects. Also the nature of impact has been identified. Originality/Value: This paper demonstrates the impact of integration on scaling of e-Government projects. It analyses the phenomenon of integration in terms of five different levels. All the levels of integration impact scaling of e-Government projects in different ways.

English

Moi University was established in 1984 and its first decade of growth and expansion necessitated the adoption and utilisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to manage information generated by its operations. Through Dutch Joint Financing Programme for Cooperation in Higher Education (MHO) and other donors’ assistance, it established an ICT centre charged with, among other functions, initiation and development of information systems, including the Academic Register Information System (ARIS). Many challenges slowly cropped up and choked ARIS and other systems before implementation. This study was undertaken to ascertain and investigate issues that led to pre-implementation failure of information systems in one of Kenya’s public universities, using a case study of Moi University. This paper presents the views of Moi University’s ARIS and other Information System (IS) project participants on the factors that led to their systems’ failure to reach their operational phase. Although the findings may sound critical of certain aspects of IS and general organisational management at Moi University (MU), they provide real examples of what can happen to IS projects in practice. They provide valuable opportunities for learning, especially in typical sub-Saharan Africa’s public universities. Key words: Pre-implementation failure, failure factors, information systems development, public university, Kenya.

Understanding potential impacts from university-led educational travel

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the potential for environmental and social impacts from university-level educational travel programs.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes the sites visited by 17 education travel programs to the Westfjords (Iceland) from 2014 to 2016. It uses a geographic information system (GIS) project to examine the potential for environmental and social impacts from these programs on local communities and environments. It compares them with similar data on general tourism to the region.FindingsThe results reveal that educational travel programs visit sites that are generally in moderately sensitive areas environmentally and socially. They visit different sites from general tourists and sites that are more sensitive environmentally and socially.Research limitations/implicationsThe research area was limited to the Westfjords of Iceland, and thus, the results may not apply globally to all educational travel destinations.Practical implicationsThese findings suggest that education travel programs carried out by and for universities the potential to have negative effects on the locations they visit. Universities need to design their educational travel programs so as to limit such impacts to host environments and communities and explicitly educate student participants about sustainable travel behaviors.Originality/valueThis is the first study to combine GIS with several environmental and social metrics to assess impacts from educational travel programs. Further, it is the first study to map the frontstage–backstage continuum as a quantitative metric.

A framework for managing uncertainty in information system project selection: an intelligent fuzzy approach

ABSTRACTInformation System Project (ISP) Selection is the most significant strategic consideration to each management of organizations, in terms of business intelligence (BI) as critical factors must be considered from large volume of information, known as Big Data (BD). In today’s competitive environment, the main objective is selecting suitable and effective ISP to reduce the risk of investment, maximize overall performance of management of organization by mitigating uncertainty. As these types of decisions generally involve several criteria and it is often necessary to compromise among possibly conflicting factors, the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) becomes a useful approach to solve this kind of problem. This paper establishes a novel intelligent model by integrating fuzzy Shannon entropy and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution Method (FTOPSIS) techniques as a decision tool for solving MCDM problem using linguistic values, which smoothly aids decision makers dealing with uncertain or incomplete information without losing existing quantitative information. The novelty of this paper is to propose a framework of BI in management of an organization to determine suitable ISP where all the meaningful information, relevant knowledge and visualization retrieved by analyzing BD based on decision making to enhance any organizational performance worldwide.

The Myriapoda of Halimun-Salak National Park (Java, Indonesia): overview and faunal composition.

The myriapod fauna of the mega-diverse country of Indonesia is so far insufficiently known, with no species lists or determination keys. In order to obtain an overview of the faunal composition of the Myriapoda in an Indonesian forest system, the fauna of the Halimun-Salak National Park in western Java was explored during the dry season (September–October 2015) in the framework of the German-Indonesian INDOBIOSYS project (Indonesian Biodiversity Discovery and Information System). A total of 980 Myriapoda specimens were collected by hand by 3–4 researchers from three different sites in the national park, from which 796 specimens were determined to a higher taxonomic level (class, order, family) and 617 specimens were determined to morphospecies. Among these, 27 were Symphyla (4%) (excluded from further analyses), 226 Chilopoda (28%) and 543 Diplopoda (68%). The Scolopendromorpha (64% of all identified centipedes) and Polydesmida (69% of all identified Diplopoda) were the most represented orders in our samples.Twenty-four morphospecies of Chilopoda were determined: one each of Scutigeromorpha and Lithobiomorpha, six Scolopendromorpha and sixteen Geophilomorpha. Nine orders of diplopods were present, with a total of 47 morphospecies: one each of Polyxenida, Glomeridesmida and Chordeumatida, two each of Glomerida, Spirobolida and Siphonophorida, seven of Sphaerotheriida, ten of Spirostreptida and 21 of Polydesmida.Two species curves were obtained to have a first idea about the myriapod diversity in the Halimun-Salak National Park and to compare the three individual collecting sites.Our results depict the Scolopendromorpha as the most common centipedes in Javanese rainforests and the Geophilomorpha as the most species-rich order. In contrast, the Polydesmida were the most dominant millipede group with 167 specimens and with 13 morphospecies the family Paradoxosomatidae was the most diverse.

Incorporating the dimensions of sustainability into information systems projects

Although research has been done on sustainability in project management, little or no research has been conducted on sustainability within the domain of information system (IS) projects. This article reports on whether IS projects are executed sustainably and whether they contribute to organisational sustainability. A questionnaire, completed by 650 IS project managers, was used to determine the state of IS project sustainability. The results highlight that sustainability is not integrated into IS projects and IS project managers do not consider organisational sustainability. IS projects tend to focus on the economic dimension, i.e. increasing productivity and profits, with no thought being given to the social and environmental dimensions. This article recommends that sustainability should be incorporated into project management and IS best practices. Accordingly, the way IS projects are executed should be re-evaluated in terms of their sustainability.

Measuring Information System Project Success through a Software-Assisted Qualitative Content Analysis

Information System (IS)/IT project success is a growing interest in management due to its high impact on organizational change and effectiveness. Libraries have been adopting integrated library systems (ILS) to manage services and resources for years. It is essential for librarians to understand the mechanism of IS project management in order to successfully bring technology innovation to the organization. This study develops a theoretical model of measuring IS project success and tests it in an ILS merger project through a software-assisted qualitative content analysis. The model addresses project success through three constructs: (1) project management process, (2) project outcomes, and (3) contextual factors. The results indicate project management success alone cannot guarantee project success; project outputs and contextual factors also influence success through the leadership of the project manager throughout the lifecycle. The study not only confirms the proposed model in a post-project evaluation, but also signifies that project assessment can reinforce organizational learning, increase the chance of achieving success, and maximize overall returns for an organization. The qualitative content analysis with NVivo 11 has provided a new research method for project managers to self-assess an IS/IT project success systematically and learn from their experiences throughout the project lifecycle.

Why E-participation systems fail: The case of Estonia's Osale.ee

Despite the hopes that information and communication technology (ICT) would revolutionize democratic participation, evidence suggests that e-participation systems designed for consultation and dialogue between citizens and governments often fail to achieve the expected objectives and levels of take-up. E-participation research has identified a number of success and failure factors but lacks analytical frameworks explaining why and how failures occur. Such frameworks are available in information systems (IS) literature but lack an account of the particularities of e-participation. Combining insights from both domains, this paper proposes to conceptualize e-participation systems as innovation processes characterized by uncertainty and change, and to focus on studying systems' interactions with their context and stakeholders to understand why certain outcomes occur. Applying this approach to the case study of the Estonian e-participation portal Osale.ee, the paper concludes that e-participation systems face three-fold challenges: those typical to IS projects, those emerging from the public sector context, and specific challenges that emanate from the complex context of democratic participation. This complexity makes e-participation systems prone to fail and requires them to be managed as a process of learning and adaptation rather than a static technological product.

Emotional intelligence: The key to mitigating stress and fostering trust among software developers working on information system projects

The successful accomplishment of information systems development (ISD) activities is reliant on the efforts of developers, who are largely responsible for creating the required system artefacts. Developers encounter numerous obstacles in their efforts to successfully complete activities, such as the need to develop software within highly-complex broad-ranging projects. These problems increase levels of stress, which subsequently affect developers’ ability to self-regulate their feelings and understanding. However, only scant attention has been paid to their personal skills and competency in overcoming these issues. This study therefore aimed to bridge this gap by exploring the impact of developers’ emotional intelligence on stress, trust, and performance. Our empirical results show that emotional intelligence mitigates stress and fosters trust among software developers working on information system projects. Additionally, role ambiguity increases the effect of stress on performance.

Control and Emotions: Understanding the Dynamics of Controllee Behaviours in a Health Care Information Systems Project

The control of information systems (IS) projects is important for organizations seeking to realize the value-creating capabilities of information technology (IT). However, their achievement has proven complex and has triggered research on the unique challenges related to IS project control. The existing research focuses primarily on the contextual antecedents and performance effects of control-mode choices but largely neglects the dynamics of control activities, and particularly the socio-emotional aspects of such activities. We conducted longitudinal fieldwork to evaluate the dynamic interplay between control activities and emotions in the context of a large-scale, healthcare information systems project. Our case analysis provides empirical evidence for the link between controllers’ control styles and controllees’ emotions and subsequent behaviors. For instance, our analysis results point to ‘suppressed’ effects of negative emotions on control effectiveness. We find that while controllees’ negative emotional appraisals of control activities do not necessarily translate into immediate resistance behaviors, they can give rise to delayed resistance behaviors triggered by shifting control styles.

Aplikasi E-Task Berbasis Student Center Learning Pada Matakuliah Manajemen Proyek Sistem Informasi

At present, there are still many colleges that use Teacher Center Learning (TCL) based learning models. And this has resulted in the low interest of students in following the learning process. The result of the above problem is the decline in student learning outcomes. This study aims to develop a learning media based on Student Center Learning (SCL), by using an E-Task application that can improve students' results and independence in Information Systems Project Management subjects. Where in this case the student will use the E-Task application in working on assignments given by Lecturers independently or in groups, so that in terms of increasing student independence. This research uses the basic concept of system development life cycle (SDLC) system development which is described by the UML system design tool. The designed system flow is illustrated by global design, namely Use Case Diagram. The final result of this research is an E-Task application that is designed attractively so that students are expected to be able to independently carry out their duties and give their assignments to Lecturers anywhere and anytime. With this application students are able to actively work together, so that assignments given to students can be completed quickly, and this application can improve student learning outcomes.

Control and emotions: Understanding the dynamics of controllee behaviours in a health care information systems project

AbstractThe control of information systems (IS) projects is important for organizations seeking to realize the value‐creating capabilities of information technology (IT). However, their achievement has proven complex and has triggered research on the unique challenges related to IS project control. The existing research focuses primarily on the contextual antecedents and performance effects of control‐mode choices but largely neglects the dynamics of control activities, and particularly the socio‐emotional aspects of such activities. We conducted longitudinal fieldwork to evaluate the dynamic interplay between control activities and emotions in the context of a large‐scale, health care IS project. Our case analysis provides empirical evidence for the link between controllers' control styles and controllees' emotions and subsequent behaviours. For instance, our analysis results point to “suppressed” effects of negative emotions on control effectiveness. We find that while controllees' negative emotional appraisals of control activities do not necessarily translate into immediate resistance behaviours, they can give rise to delayed resistance behaviours triggered by shifting control styles.

How to select suitable manufacturing information system outsourcing projects by using TOPSIS method

Modern business management depends on information technology (IT) deeply. However, most companies, especially manufacturing, are not good at IT. But IT is very important and complex to the manufacturing industry. Numerous manufacturing now outsource their information system (IS) projects to Information Service Providers (ISP) instead of developing in-house. This work classifies the critical objectives for selecting manufacturing information system outsourcing projects into benefit-related objectives and cost-related objectives and then formulates a goal programming (GP) model. Interactions between manufacturing information system projects and availability of scarce resources are also considered into constraints of the model. However, because of the incommensurability and conflicting nature of these objectives, the GP model becomes complex. The method called ‘technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution’ (TOPSIS) and the fuzzy set theory are employed to simplify the complex GP solving process and reflect the preferences of managers. A case study of a TV assembly company in Taiwan illustrates the feasibility of the proposed model.

Leadership competencies revisited: A causal configuration analysis of success in the requirements phase of information systems projects

The research on information systems shows significant project failure rates. The requirements-related problems and the lack of management and leadership skills are the most cited causes. Thus, this study uses a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore which types of leadership competencies (emotional, intellectual, and managerial) are the most relevant for each activity in the requirements phase. This study also examines whether gender and holding a project management certification contribute to the success of this phase. The results show that different activities call for different leadership competencies and that gender is the most consistent condition that leads to success. The findings also indicate that formal certification may not be a proxy for all the required skills and knowledge needed in the requirements phase. These results enable a better fit for those professionals that are involved in the requirements phase to improve their success probabilities.

Multicriteria Decision Making for Evaluating and Selecting Information Systems Projects: A Sustainability Perspective

This paper develops a multicriteria analysis method for effectively making the selection decision on information systems (IS) projects for project management in organizations from a sustainability perspective. The triple bottom line principle of sustainability in organizations is carefully considered in formulating the IS project selection process as a multicriteria analysis problem. The subjectiveness of the decision-making process is modelled by linguistic variables approximated by fuzzy numbers. The positive and the negative ideal solution concepts are used to calculate the overall sustainability performance of individual IS projects in a comprehensive manner. A decision support system framework is then constructed with the use of the developed method for facilitating the IS project selection process. Such a system can provide organizations with an effective mechanism for comprehensively evaluating available IS projects from a sustainability perspective. An example is presented for demonstrating the flexibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in solving the IS project selection problem.

Triggers analysis of an agile transformation: the case of a central bank

Agile transformation is one of the central topics for many IT departments in large organizations. Convinced by the benefits, large companies have entered a generalization phase of these approaches at the level of all information system projects. But little research informs practitioners about how a company goes from an experimentation phase to the generalization. Knowing that agile methods generate several changes in roles, processes and culture, our paper aims to answer the following question: what are the triggers of a decision that will enable an organization moving from experimentation to a wide generalization of an agile method? Based on a qualitative research design via a case study seeking to explain this complex phenomenon. We investigated the adoption process of agile methods during the last 13 years in the IT department of the French central bank. Contributions and practical implications highlight successful ingredients allowing to organize the implementation of agile methods in a large public organization.

Developers' views on the adoption and benefits of software process improvement programs in Canadian software development firms

For decades software developers have struggled in their attempts to deliver high quality software products. Against this background, software process improvement (SPI) programs are viewed as one of the solutions to overcome the problem of delivering low quality software products. This study utilised a two-phase approach to ascertain the state of SPI adoption and the determinants of information systems (IS) quality and success in Canadian software development firms. The study found a moderate adoption rate of SPI programs and it was felt that user training and technical support could positively impact the success of information systems projects. Based on these arguments a proposed research model was presented with the hope of it being validated in future studies.

The Criteria for Software Quality in Information System: Rasch Analysis

Most of the organization uses information system to manage the information and provide better decision making in order to deliver high quality services. Due to that the information system must be reliable and fulfill the quality aspect in order to accommodate organization’s need. However, some of the information system still facing problems such as slow response time, problem with accessibility and compatibility issues between hardware and software. These problems will affect the acceptance and usage of the information system especially for non-computing users. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the factors that significantly contribute to the quality of software for information system. A survey was carried out by distributing a set of questionnaires to 174 respondents who are involved in development of software for information system. The data was analyzed using Rasch Measurement Model since it provides reliability of respondents and instruments. The result indicates that 30 factors had significantly contributed to the quality of software for information system and of these, six factors are under functionality, five for reliability, ten for usability, five for efficiency, two for compatibility and two for security. It is hoped that by identifying these factors, system developers can seriously consider of enhancing the quality of software for information system projects. In future, these factors can be used to develop an evaluation tool or metrix for quality aspects of software for information system projects.

IT Controlling and Formal Control: The Case Visio2

Kirsch et al. (2002; 2010) highlight the control of IS projects. For them there are complementarities between formal and informal control to evaluate IS projects. In this article, we show that in IS projects the evaluation is a simultaneous mix of formal and informal control. Our practice based View of IT controlling is illustrated by a management tool that estimates the budgetary and planning deviations in uncertain environment (extraction and valuation of tasks in MS project). We then enrich the theory through the hybrid indicators.They combine informal and formal control. Our methodology is inductive and we generalize our results from the research and development of Information systems projects in computer industry (ISDP).

Participatory geographic information systems use in Copan Ruinas, Honduras: the development and evaluation of an environmental restoration public participatory Geographic Information System project

Sustainable development is the challenge of the 21st century, and public administration will play a part in finding new ways of meeting human needs within the constraints of natural resource systems. The nature of sustainable development has led to expanded forms of governance and new partnerships among non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, and governments at all levels. This paper examines a participatory geographic information system project being developed in Copan Ruinas, Honduras and its effect on the community stakeholders. pecifically, the participatory geographic information system project will focus on the development of a geodatabase and usable maps that integrate: small-scale (less than five hectares on average) agroforestry projects, and highland habitat restoration projects. During this research, we will focus on the geographic information system project, public participation and how the project meets the standards of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) pillars of participation and core values.