Analysing information systems evaluation: Another look at an old problem

Information systems (IS) evaluation is a thorny problem. In this paper we re-examine the area in light of recent developments in the field. Our examination begins with an example of a common contemporary IS assessment problem, viz. evaluating outsourcing. The example highlights the organizational and political issues that make evaluation fraught with difficulties. The paper argues that IS evaluation is a ‘necessary evil’ but the context in which IS are developed and used has become much more demanding and complex. A conceptual framework, first proposed in an earlier paper as a way to classify the literature, is presented and brought up to date. The framework is then used to re-examine the outsourcing example, demonstrating the usefulness of the framework.