The relationship of user involvement to successful systems development has been the focus of much attention for information systems researchers for some time. Common understanding has been that extensive user involvement is not only important, but absolutely essential to system success. However, earlier studies trying to link user involvement to system success have shown mixed results. In this paper we review 28 empirical research studies that investigate the significance of user involvement. From our results we conclude that user involvement in the systems development process is indeed important to system success. We further identify several key points pertinent to making user involvement effective
