IT Success Factors
On this and most weeks, each student will present their topical reading, with handouts for the class, and the instructor will present a lecture based on recent developments since publication of the texts. Make sure the handout provides a full bibliographical citation for your reading.
Implementation Success Factors
Why Information Technology Projects Fail
The Case of the Department of Homeland Security
Internal Success Factors
The Role of Training
External Success Factors
Summary
Discussion Questions for Garson, Chapter 13
1. What is/should be the definition of Asuccess@ in terms of IT project implementation?
2. There are eight common reasons why IT projects fail. Select two of these reasons and explain how the situation could be addressed.
3. Chose two main internal success factors and explain how their presence or absence might affect project implementation.
4. Why is training often a low priority for both vendors and management? How should training be approached (for whom, timing, etc.)?
5. What are external success factors? Can an IT project be successfully implemented with internal solely on the basis of internal support factors?
6. What should be the role of top management with regard to the implementation of IT projects?
7. What are the general findings of the sociotechnical school for IT implementation?
8. Have you ever observed the implementation of an IT within your organization? Was it successful? Name the strengths/weaknesses that affected its outcome. What were the most important factors?
Evaluation of Public Information Systems
Strategies for Evaluating Public Information Technology
The Private Sector Model: Return on Investment
Evolution of a Public Sector Model for it Evaluation
Traditional Value Ranking Methods
Value Measuring Methodology (VMM)
The Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)
The Performance Reference Model (PRM)
Other Models
Evaluation of Governmental Websites
Summary
Discussion Questions for Garson, Chapter 14
1. If you were a top manager, what role would you give to qualitative factors in evaluation?
2. Is quantitative return on investment (ROI) analysis useful in the public sector?
3. What is performance distortion and how does it relate to evaluation?
4. Compare evaluation in the public and private sectors. Similarities? Differences?
5. How participative should evaluation processes be? What are the pro and con arguments?
6. How should the manager decide how far into the future to measure benefit streams or cost factors?
7. Are benefits which are solely internal to the agency, such as employee satisfaction, Areal@ benefits which should be counted in return on investment?
8. Should Apotential benefits@ be considered in evaluation, even if they are contingent on future developments?
9. Why is the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) considered to be particularly important to public IT evaluation?
10. Can IT evaluation be neutral? Why or why not?
Discussion Questions for Rocheleau, Chapter 9: Evaluation and Information Technology
1. When would "ex ante" evaluation be common and what does Rocheleau have to say about it? pp. 277-278
2. What is "process evaluation" and why does Rocheleau say it is the type often seen by employees as being the most valuable? p. 278
3. What is "utilization-focused evaluation"? p. 280
4. How is the "level of analysis" issue related to evaluation of ERP systems? p. 281
5. What are Rocheleau's main points about the time frame for evaluations? p. 281
6. What did Rocheleau's own 1982 research show about quantitative vs. qualitative data gathering in evaluations? p. 283
7. What are the pros and cons of evaluating by past performance vs. evaluating in terms of set goals? p. 284
8. What are the pros and cons of inside vs. outside evaluations? p. 284
9. Does Rocheleau find public IT evaluation very different from private sector IT evaluation? p. 286
10. What are the three categories of evaluation measures identified by DeLone & McLean (2003)? pp. 288-289
11. What is BSC? pp. 289 - 291
12. What are some problems with customer satisfaction as an evaluation measure? pp. 291-292