Authors: Bruce Campbell
Tags: 1998, conceptual modeling
IS is still suffering from high rates of failure and dissatisfaction by users with the delivered product. Respondents to a recent survey [19] said that the major reason for IS failure or poor performance is due to the lack of consideration of “softer” organisational issues – not technological reasons. This is hardly surprising given that most current modelling techniques are based on the structured analysis paradigm and do not easily lend themselves to modelling softer issues. Furthermore, there is a growing consensus that much remains to be done in order to determine exactly how softer factors influence the implementation of computer systems. This paper reports on research in progress at an Australian high-tech organisation where a number of modelling techniques were used to determine why processes within an implemented system were failing over time. The modelling techniques included data flow diagrams, flow charts and system dynamics modelling. The latter proved highly effective at demonstrating the impact of the softer organisational issues on the processes. The paper further emphasises the need to consider a system holistically during the requirements specification and design phases.Read the full paper here: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-49524-6_23
