Unpacking the systems development process: An empirical application of the CSF concept in a research context

T. Butler, Brian Fitzgerald

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper unpacks the black box of the IS development process and, thereby, helps business and IT managers understand better its complexity. The Critical Success Factors (CSF) concept was employed for this purpose in an in-depth study of four diverse systems development projects in a large telecommunications company. Unlike previous applications of the CSF method, the approach adopted in this study facilitated the identification of both 'generic' and 'collective' CSFs in order to map the network of interrelationships between them. Thus the findings shed new light on the process by which information systems are developed by illustrating empirically its complex multidimensional nature and by providing fresh insights into the challenges facing both developers and users in their task of developing organisational IS.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)351-371
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Strategic Information Systems
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 1999
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Critical Success Factors
  • Hermeneutics
  • Information systems development
  • Interpretive case study

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