Assessing Information Technology Investments with an Integrative Process Framework

We propose a framework for assessing and realizing the benefits from IT investment and an integrative process for prioritizing, justifying, and evaluating results of IT implementations. IT investments can drive changes in business processes. Our framework emphasizes identifying those changes so that responsibility for realizing benefits (financial and non-financial) can be assigned and evaluated. The framework addresses the “responsibility gap” that can prevent returns from being realized. The process aligns and prioritizes IT investments with strategy and considers the impact/leverage of such investments on activities across the entire value chain. Interviews and two case studies document the applicability of the proposed framework. Finally, we identify critical success factors for implementation, limitations, and implications for future research.