# Evaluation Methodology for Circular and Resilient Information Systems
###### Abstract  
Digital technologies nowadays provide essential support for companies, making them a priority for businesses and a prominent area of study for researchers. In response to the increasing emphasis on sustainability and resilience, new information systems are developing to meet evolving business needs, namely circular and resilient information systems (CRISs). These systems integrate with traditional ones to optimise key performance indicators (KPIs) related to circularity and resiliency. Despite extensive methodologies for evaluating traditional information systems, systems designed for circularity and resiliency need to be assessed in parallel and in depth. Existing evaluations focus on efficiency and user satisfaction but often neglect the unique demands of circularity and resiliency. This study introduces a novel evaluation methodology for CRISs. Through a case study of an innovative system and the established literature, we address real-life needs and challenges in manufacturing. In particular, the system serves the needs of three distinct case studies: Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) waste utilisation in drone manufacturing, recovery of magnets from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and the repurposing of citrus processing waste into juice by-products. Our methodology is built on the 5W1H method to make our approach context-specific and aligned with each case's unique requirements, making it also replicable for other industries. Our findings offer insights and a tool for practitioners and researchers to evaluate CRIS performance. The research highlights the importance of a two-fold evaluation approach for CRISs, evaluating both pilot-specific KPIs and the system's technical performance. Policy implications suggest the need for regulatory frameworks and incentives to support the adoption, as well as evaluation, of CRISs and promote sustainable and resilient industrial practices. CRISs; evaluation methodology; circularity; resiliency; KPIs; information systems +
Footnote †: journal: Applied  
0000-0001-4800-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-000000-00000-00000-000000-00000-0000  
for sustainable development, adaptive responses to anticipated and unforeseen challenges, and emerging customer needs. Despite the availability of numerous methodologies to evaluate traditional information systems in IS research [4], there remains a pressing research gap in methodologies tailored to assess the performance of systems specifically designed to enhance circularity and resiliency [5]. Conventional evaluation approaches exist [6], focusing on efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction metrics. Nevertheless, they often need to address the unique challenges and new requirements posed by the concepts of circularity and resiliency. This gap highlights the need for a specialised evaluation framework to comprehensively assess the technical performance and sustainability impact of circular and resilient information systems (CRISs). To address this research gap, our study is guided by the following key research questions:  
1. What specific evaluation criteria are necessary to assess the performance of circular and resilient information systems effectively? 2. How can these criteria be integrated into a comprehensive evaluation methodology that addresses a CRIS's technical and sustainability aspects? 3. In what ways can the proposed methodology be applied across different industries to validate its versatility and effectiveness in real-world scenarios? Our study builds on established evaluations in the literature to present a novel evaluation methodology specifically for circular and resilient information systems. Additionally, we detail the development and implementation of our evaluation methodology, illustrating its application through a case study of developing an innovative circular and resilient information system.