Failure, Success and Improvisation of Information Systems Projects in Developing Countries

........................................................................................................................................................ 1 A. INTRODUCTION: DEFINING AND MEASURING SUCCESS AND FAILURE.....................................2 THE EXTENT OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE ................................................................................................. 3 B. UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPING COUNTRY INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUCCESS AND FAILURE..................................................................................................................................................................5 C. EXPLAINING DEVELOPING COUNTRY INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUCCESS AND FAILURE.7 COUNTRY CONTEXT GAPS ........................................................................................................................... 7 HARD—SOFT GAPS......................................................................................................................................... 9 PRIVATE—PUBLIC GAPS.............................................................................................................................. 11 D. INCREASING SUCCESS RATES: LOCAL IMPROVISATION TO REDUCE DESIGN—REALITY GAPS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 SUPPORTING LOCAL IMPROVISATION AND INCREASING SUCCESS RATES ................................ 14 i. Expose Organisational Realities........................................................................................................ 14 ii. Improve Local IS Capacities.............................................................................................................. 15 iii. Educate the Carriers.......................................................................................................................... 16 iv. Analyse the ‘How’ as Well as the ‘What’......................................................................................... 16 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................... 17