The interaction between context and technology during information systems development (ISD) : action research investigations in two health settings
Creators: name: Chiasson, Mike
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: Software development and implementation failure is perceived by developers and users as a serious problem. Of every six new software development projects, 2 are abandoned, the average project lasts 50% longer than expected, and 75% of large systems are "operating failures" that are rejected or perform poorly. Design failure contributes to the productivity paradox, where increased investment in information technology (IT) has not correlated with improvements in productivity. Many IS researchers state that further research examining the interaction between technology and context during information system development (ISD) is required. This current study is motivated by these calls for research. The marrying of information systems and health research also raises a second motivation. The deployment and diffusion of IT can contribute to the effective utilization of health resources. Another motivation of the thesis is to explore the effect of information systems on disease prevention, and provide an opportunity to develop and diffuse IT tools that promote health. To address these two motivations, two case studies of ISD in two health studies are described. The first case study involved the initiation and development of an electronic patient record in two outpatient clinics specializing in heart disease prevention and rehabilitation (SoftHeart). The second case study involved the development of a windows-based multimedia software that assists the planning of breast cancer educational and policy programs in communities. The first case study covered four years (Summer of 1992 to Spring of 1996) and the second case covered 1 year (Spring of 1995 to Spring of 1996). The purpose of the thesis is to generate hypotheses for future research in ISD. Both studies employed an "action research" approach where the researcher was directly involved with software design and programming. Data from interviews, meeting minutes, field notes, design and programming notes, and other documentation were collected from both studies and triangulated to provide valid interpretations. Important and illustrative technology-context events are extracted from the cases to uncover processes between technology and context during stages of development. Processes are compared with four theories linking technology and context: technological imperative and organizational imperative (unidirectional), and emergent perspective and social technology (bi-directional). These processes are then combined to reach tentative conclusions about the ISD process. Key findings indicate an interplay between a small number unidirectional processes (organizational and technology imperative) and a large number of bi-directional theories (social technology and emergence). Overall, the emergent perspective described or participated in describing a majority of the processes, given the developer's perspective, extraction and interpretation of these key processes. In both cases, the ISD trajectory was best described as emergent. The result of within case and cross-case analysis is a model integrating the four technology-context theories depending on stakeholder agreement and the adaptability of technology during development and use. Dynamics and change in task, technology, and stakeholder configurations are explained by the deliberate or accidental interaction of new and old stakeholders, technology, ideas, agreements and/or tasks over time. Implications for research and practice are discussed.