Improving the Success of Information Systems by Evaluation A Learning Approach

Information systems can offer companies various possibilities for increasing their revenues. The systems are often strategic in nature and may have a central role in developing the business functions of the company. In today’s turbulent business environment managers should have proper tools for identifying the possibilities offered by information system investments and assessing their value to the company. This paper aims at analyzing the efforts of developing information systems evaluation practices in companies. Furthermore, we investigate whether developing the evaluation practices has lead to an increase in frequency or thoroughness of IS evaluation. Moreover, we investigate the perceived satisfaction with the evaluation practice. The Organizational Learning approach is emphasized in our research framework. A surprising result was found in the category where evaluation practices had been changed and the frequency or thoroughness of evaluation had increased. In this category there were as many companies who were satisfied as who were dissatisfied with the evaluation practices of information systems in the company; when the companies in this category are not satisfied with the evaluation practice it might be interpreted as a double loop learning failure.