A Contingency Theory Motivated Framework to Select Information System Development Methods

Several change-driven (agile) information systems development (ISD) methods have been launched during the recent years. In addition to agile ISD methods it is still possible to succeed also with plan-driven ISD methods. To facilitate ISD method selections that maximize the probability of ISD project success we crafted and evaluated an ISD method selection framework based on the idea of matching the properties of ISD methods and the characteristics of the business contexts where ISD methods are used. We conducted a systematic literature search to evaluate whether the proposed framework is also able to capture the findings of prior ISD method selection research and to guide future empirical research. From over 1000 potential articles we identified 42 articles that address ISD method selection. We discovered that the proposed framework was able to explain the findings of prior research

Context-Aware Digitalization – Adapting solution development to the organizational context of SMEs

In the context of digital transformation, it is mandatory for most organizations to conduct information systems development (ISD) projects as part of their digitalization and business development journey. One reason that many ISD projects fail is lack of knowledge about which ISD method (ISDM) is most suitable for the project at hand and how to adapt it to reflect the respective business development context. These problems especially occur in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as they often lack specific methodological skills and project governance experience – so they cannot even manage ISD consultancies that promise to support them in their digital transformation. In this conceptual paper, we present the design of a method for selecting and using ISDM for SMEs. It considers both the context dependency and missing project governance skills of SMEs. The main components of the proposed method link the knowledge areas of business development and ISD: business context evaluation, ISDM selection and ISDM management

Selection, Adaption and Use of IS and Business Development Methods in Digitalization Projects

As digitalization has a significant impact on all industries, it is important to examine how digitalization methods are selected and applied. For that, we conducted two-step research: first, a survey examining how the connection of IT and digital business management affects business development management, followed by digitalization project participant interviews. We can conclude that method selection is done rarely, and even if it is done, project participants are not always aware of it. In addition, although business development objectives were largely emphasized, business development methods were scarce. Instead of deploying systematic business development, it was easily left as a vague part of IS development. Quite often, projects (willingly or accidentally) utilized some kind of hybrid method, but its elements were not combined systematically. As one result, we propose a new kind of hybrid method evaluation tool to be used in the method selection phase

The Usefulness of the Recommendations Regarding the Information System Development Method Selection during the Era of Digitalization

The business criticality of information systems (IS) and their development (ISD) appear to have increased recently. Backsourcing, cosourcing and multisourcing of ISD are some of the consequences. They, in turn, extend the need for understanding how to select information systems development methods (ISDM). In this research, we first condensed the knowledge base of ISDM selection research into nine recommendations. We then interviewed 28 ISDM experts and asked them to evaluate how useful the extant ISDM selection recommendations of prior research are to IS user organizations. We discovered that most recommendations were perceived outdated and only limitedly useful. We finally contemplated that paying more attention to how ISDMs are used in business development contexts is a means to increase the usefulness of ISDM selection recommendations

Fit to Context Matters – Selecting and Using Information Systems Development Methods to Develop Business in Digitalization Contexts

We ponder the relations of software, information systems (IS) and business development methods in the development of digital businesses and in the digitalization of extant businesses. We present our published IS development method (ISDM) framework and its development. The framework is used as the background to reason the relations between the three development layers of digitalization: software, IS and business. We then propose six highly potential areas of future research. In addition, we answer to two research questions also paving the way to future research: is the matching of IS and business development a reasonable proposition, and is the finding of extant literature true, according to which ISDMs are used limitedly in IS development work. We organized two workshops with 21 (14+7) participants to answer these questions. We detected yes and mixed answers. We contribute to research with the empirical findings and the proposed research areas

On Solving the Business Requirements Engineering Problems of Information Systems Development Projects – Lessons from Three Projects

Information systems development (ISD) often fails. Requirements engineering (RE) problems rank high in ISD project failure statistics. RE is often regarded as the link between business (processes) (BP) and IS. Thus, in RE, the BP and IS requirements need to be synchronized. We conducted three case studies to investigate RE problems and the reasons for them, especially to contemplate how to synchronize business process and IS development requirements in plan-driven (waterfall) and change-driven (agile) projects. Investigated cases indicate that the ontological and epistemological matching of IS and BP requirements engineering methods improves requirements quality

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMS - CONTROL IN THE CONTEXT OF AGILE AND TRADITIONAL APPROACHES: A MULTIPLE-CASE STUDY

Over the last years, digital transformation in organizations has been accompanied by a rise of agile principles and methodologies. Despite some few exceptions, the majority of organizations need to combine or manage the coexistence of agile and traditional management approaches to explore new digital technologies, exploit their benefits, and innovate business successfully. Up to the present, it is not well understood how organizations deal with both approaches within digital transformation programs. Drawing on control theory and the concept of ambidexterity, the purpose of this multiple-case study is to explore how traditional and agile components are managed within large digital transformation programs, what formal modes and styles of control are conducted, and which tensions in control arise. Besides identifying authoritative and enabling control modes, as well as for instance tensions concerning transparency and cadence of outcome delivery, the important dual and “translating” role of the program manager regarding control is emphasized through this study

Selecting the right method for the right project

The development of information systems is constantly changing. As a background of the change, there is almost a traditional problem about the high failure rates of information systems development (ISD) projects, but it is no longer the only change-driving force. The role of information systems and their strategic significance has increased considerably due digitalization. This has happened also in the areas of business, which have not been traditionally thought as IT-oriented. Furthermore, the new agile development methods have forced ISD clients to take more responsibility for ISD than before. In practice, this means that completely outsourcing ISD is not as sensible nor as simple as before. ISD clients who acquire information systems must be aware of the different ISD methods and be able to compare and choose the most suitable for the business situation and the objectives in question. ISD method selection is rarely studied, and the majority of publications concentrate on different selection criteria relating to the ISD method choice without a clear selection model. Only a few ISD method selection models were found in the literature. Furthermore, the earlier ISD method selection models are restricted by two factors: firstly, the recommendations behind the prior ISD selection models do not correspond to today’s thoughts about the ISD methods; secondly, prior ISD selection models concentrate only on the properties of the ISD pro-jects, and attention is not really given to the business environment or the business to be developed. In a situation like this, it was considered necessary to develop and study an ISD selection framework which takes the business development and business environment into account as well. Furthermore, it was seen as necessary to study both the customer and supplier practices related to the ISD method choice. The objective was to understand the present situation and estimate how the developed ISD selection framework could be utilized in the future. The study was carried out in several stages. Firstly, two unsuccessful ISD projects were studied in the case study, and it was found that the ISD method used in the projects did not correspond to the properties of the business environment in either case. After that, a contingency theory–motivated ISD selection framework was developed, and a systematic literature review was conducted to study earlier ISD method selection criteria and compare them with the developed ISD method selection framework. In the next stage, expert interviews were done. Altogether, 31 ISD experts working on the borderline between the IS sup-plier and client were interviewed and asked their opinions on existing ISD method selection practices by both the client and the supplier. Furthermore, the experts were asked for their opinions on the recommendations of earlier ISD method selection models and on the developed ISD method selection framework. As a result of the study, it can be stated that the developed ISD method framework covers both the previous ISD method selection criteria, which mainly concentrates on ISD project factors, and the business environment factors. Whereas the majority of the interviewed experts considered the developed ISD method selection framework useful, the recommendations of earlier ISD method selection models were regarded as outdated. Furthermore, it was noticed that in IS client organizations, there was almost no discussion about the ISD methods, and in the supplier organizations, the discussion was very rare. Any systematic projectspecific ISD method selection practice had not been perceived in either organizations. Supplier organizations can justify their reasons for favouring a certain ISD method with the bounded rationality, whereas the operation of customer companies doing (or not doing) the ISD method selection seems to be filling the features of functional stupidity. In the future, it is important to study how to plant the ISD method selection as part of the starting stage of the ISD project. In addition, the developed ISD method selection framework should be tested in the practice.Tietojärjestelmien kehittäminen on jatkuvassa murroksessa. Muutoksen taustalla on jo perinteiseksi muodostunut ongelma tietojärjestelmäprojektien epäonnistumisesta, mutta se ei ole enää ainoa syy. Digitalisaation myötä tietojärjestelmien rooli ja strateginen merkitys on kasvanut huomattavasti myös sellaisilla liiketoiminta-alueilla, joita ei ole ajateltu IT-orientoituneina. Lisäksi uudet ketterät tietojärjestelmien kehittämismenetelmät osallistavat tietojärjestelmäprojektien asiakkaat, jotka joutuvat entistä vastuullisempaan asemaan. Käytännössä tämä kaikki merkitsee sitä, että tietojärjestelmien kehittämisen täydellinen ulkoistaminen ei enää ole yhtä mielekästä, eikä myös yhtä yksinkertaista kuin ennen. Tässä tilanteessa myös tietojärjestelmiä hankkivan asiakkaan pitää tietää erilaisista kehittämismenetelmistä ja kyetä vertailemaan ja valitsemaan kyseiseen liiketoimintatilanteeseen ja tavoitteisiin parhaiten sopiva kehittämismenetelmä. Tietojärjestelmien kehittämismenetelmien valintaa on tutkittu vähän ja suurin osa löydetyistä julkaisuista keskittyy listaamaan erilaisia menetelmävalintaan liittyviä kriteerejä. Varsinaisia tietojärjestelmien kehitysmenetelmien valintamalleja on esitetty vain muutamia. Aiempien valintamallien käyttökelpoisuutta rajoittaa kaksi tekijää: ensinnäkin mallien taustalla olevat olettamukset eivät välttämättä täsmää tämän päivän ajatuksiin kehittämismenetelmistä, ja toisekseen valintamallit keskittyvät tietojärjestelmien kehittämisprojektien ominaisuuksiin, kehitettävää liiketoimintaa tai liiketoimintaympäristöä ei aikaisemmissa valintamalleissa juurikaan huomioida. Tilanteen ollessa tämä kehitimme ja tutkimme tietojärjestelmän kehittämismenetelmien valintamallia, joka ottaa huomioon myös samaan aikaan tapahtuvan liiketoiminnan kehittämisen ja liiketoimintaympäristön. Lisäksi tutkimme tietojärjestelmän kehittämismenetelmien valintaan liittyviä käytäntöjä sekä asiakkaan että toimittajan näkökulmasta. Tavoitteena oli ymmärtää menetelmävalinnan nykytilannetta ja arvioida miten valintamallia voisi jatkossa hyödyntää. Tutkimus toteutettiin useammassa vaiheessa. Ensimmäiseksi tapaustutkimuksin tutkittiin kahta epäonnistunutta tietojärjestelmäkehitysprojektia, ja havaittiin että kummassakaan tapauksessa valittu tietojärjestelmän kehittämismalli ei vastannut liiketoimintaympäristön tarpeita. Sen jälkeen kehitimme kontingenssiteoreettisen tietojärjestelmän kehitysmenetelmän valintamallin, jota verrattiin systemaattisella kirjallisuuskatsauksella löydettyihin aikeisempiin valintasuosituksiin. Vertailun jälkeen haastateltiin 31 asiantuntijaa. Haastatteluilla selvitettiin nykyisiä tietojärjestelmän kehitysmenetelmien valintaan liittyviä käytäntöjä, niin tietojärjestelmäasiakkaan kuin toimittajan näkökulmasta. Lisäksi asiantuntijoilta kysyttiin heidän mielipidettään aiempien valintamallien taustalla olevista väittämistä sekä nyt kehitetystä valintamallista. Tulos on, että ehdottamamme kontingessimalli kattaa sekä aiemmat, projektinominaisuuksiin keskittyvät valintakriteerit, että myös liiketoimintaympäristön epävarmuuteen liittyvät tekijät. Suurin osa haastatelluista asiantuntijoista (23 vastaajaa 31 haastatellusta) piti ehdotettua valintamallia käyttökelpoisena. Aiempien valintamallien taustalla olevat väittämät koettiin ajastaan jälkeen jääneiksi. Lisäksi havaittiin, että asiakasyrityksissä keskustelua tietojärjestelmän kehittämismenetelmistä ei käytännössä ollut juuri lainkaan, eikä myöskään suurimmassa osassa toimittajayrityksiä. Mitään säännöllistä projektikohtaista valintakäytäntöä ei kummissakaan yrityksissä oltu havaittu. Haastateltujen asiantuntijoiden mukaan kehittämisprojekteissa kuitenkin pääsääntöisesti käytetään jotain tietojärjestelmän kehittämismenetelmää, ja syyt menetelmän käyttöön vaihtelevat. Toimittajayritysten syyt tietyn menetelmän suosimiseen ovat pääosin perusteltavissa rajoitetulla rationaalisuudella (bounded rationality), kun taas asiakasyritysten toiminta menetelmän valinnassa näyttää täyttävän toiminnallisen typeryyden (functional stupidity) tunnuspiirteet. Jotta kehitetystä mallista tulee asiakasyrityksille hyödyllinen käytännön työkalu, on seuraavaksi syytä tutkia miten tietojärjestelmän kehittämismenetelmän valinta saadaan osaksi projektin käynnistämisvaiheen tehtäviä. Tärkeää on myös testata nyt esitetyn kontingenssimallin toimivuutta käytännön tilanteissa

Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2021

We ponder the relations of software, information systems (IS) and business development methods in the development of digital businesses and in the digitalization of extant businesses. We present our published IS development method (ISDM) framework and its development. The framework is used as the background to reason the relations between the three development layers of digitalization: software, IS and business. We then propose six highly potential areas of future research. In addition, we answer to two research questions also paving the way to future research: is the matching of IS and business development context a reasonable proposition, and is the finding of extant literature true, according to which ISDMs are used limitedly in IS development work. We organized two workshops with 21 (14+7) participants to answer these questions. We detected yes and mixed answers. We contribute to research with the empirical findings and the proposed research areas.</p