Dynamics in IS Development: A Multi-Method Experiment to Measure the Effects of Disruptions during the Development Process

The failure of many IS development efforts suggests that the development process, in particular the role that key antecedents play in ensuring success, is poorly understood. Information systems are based on a series of highly complex interrelated tasks that can be significantly affected by organizational (e.g., management attention), project (e.g., resources), and technical (e.g., tools) drivers. Changes or disruptions in these can have severe and, in many cases, unanticipated consequences for IS development efforts. To help understand how disruptions during the IS development initiative affect the quality of the system, we employ the system dynamics methodology to capture feedback from non-linear activities, viz., those that define a systems development effort. The results from the simulation lead to some tangible and timely recommendations to manage an IS development initiative. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com] IntroductIon And motIvAtIon Developing an information system is a difficult task often plagued by cost overruns, delays and cancellations. Disruptions arise from a number of factors including technical difficulties, lack of managerial attention, lack of strategic or process alignment, or lack of user involvement. Models intended to explain factors critical to successful IS development (cf., Arnold, 1995; DeLone and McLean, 1992; Seddon, 1997) address important deployment (e.g., system quality) and usage (e.g., user satisfaction) drivers but fail to adequately explain the impact of relationships between these factors.