An empirical study : the delivery phase of large-scale information systems development in the Irish Public Sector

Abstract

The study of information systems development and implementation in the Irish Public Sector is abundant with both empirical and anecdotal evidence of failures. In recent years the Irish Credit Unions failed to introduce the standardised Information System ISIS. The Government failed to introduce the proposed electronic voting system. The implementation of an enterprise information system is laden with dangers and prone to failure. Even technically elegant systems, can fail, when critical human and organisational factors are not identified and expediently managed. The purpose of this research was to examine the factors and strategies that impacted the failure or success of a large-scale enterprise information system implementation. The primary objective was to identify implementation related causes of information systems failures, and to prescribe best practices for minimising the risk of failure. The focus of this study is on the delivery phase of the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in two public sector organisations. In-depth studies of the Health Service Executive PPARS System and the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Banner System were conducted. The research recommends that end-user involvement in all stages of the information systems development process is paramount and decisive. The study finds that, in order to ensure a successful outcome of the implementation, committed managers from all levels of management must efficiently manage the change and effectively communicate with stakeholders. Appropriate educating and training the users, reengineering business processes to gain the most from the new system, and, planning, monitoring and controlling the project, are all vital factors to be considered during each stage of the process