Walking Atop the Cliffs

Despite a growing body of descriptive, theoretical and practical knowledge about Information Systems Development (ISD), large-scale information system development and implementation projects still fail in high numbers. The deeper causes of such failures are only partially understood. This study uses an action research approach in which prescriptions and recommendations drawn from research on and practice in ISD are utilized, assessed, and expanded in an ongoing large-scale ISD project. This study is undertaken to address this partial understanding of failure and to add some clarity of understanding of the interdependence of technical, social and behavioral elements of the ISD process. Our preliminary results confirm earlier findings that failure causes are intertwined with technical, social, and behavioral factors. Organizational members’ deviations from a recommended sequence and scope of an ISD roadmap can be predicted and also adjusted to a certain degree. We also see evidence that the action research methodology provides a reflective framework that ties together theory and practice in a more immediate fashion promising faster and more effective feedback between the two.