Understanding information systems evaluation as a complex social process: A case study of a UK local authority

The increasing concern from both IS practitioners and academics about the lack of confidence in the returns on IS investment is evidenced in the IS literature and is further illustrated by the growing number of methods and initiatives in this area. This is particularly evident in the UK public sector where national and local government have a duty to ensure that public money is spent appropriately. In this paper the authors explore the area of IS evaluation by categorising the methods available for use and considering the underlying assumptions of these categories. Building on recent research work with interpretative IS evaluation in the private sector, the authors specifically consider UK local government initiatives and use an in-depth case study of one UK Local Authority to elicit lessons for IS practice. The authors contend that there is currently a prevailing paradigm for understanding IS evaluation based on mechanistic and functional principles that are flawed in practice. On the basis of the case material and from the literature, the authors argue that a complementary approach to this paradigm based on situated practice provides a richer view and a more practically oriented approach to IS evaluation.