Developing a Theory to Explain the Insights Gained Concerning Information Systems and Business Process Behaviour: The ASSESS-IT Project

Business Process (BP) literature promotes the value of business processes as essential gearwheels that help organisations to reach their goals. Similarly, many process design approaches claim that information technology is a major enabler of business process, a view also shared by the Information Systems (IS) community. Despite this, BP and IS approaches do not provide clear guidance on how to coordinate the design of BP and IS. Nor is any indication of which modelling techniques could be used to detect and design IT opportunities within a business process context given.The ASSESS-IT project examined this domain and proposed the use of simulation techniques to achieve BP and IT integration. The outcome of this project gave indication that depicting the dynamic behaviour of IS could be very helpful for BP modellers to predict the impact that the insertion of IS may have on organisational processes. This paper proposes a simulation framework to depict IS behaviour within a BP simulation model, namely BPS/ISS, and tests it using the case study that was part of the ASSESS-IT project.     

The strategic dimension of transactional information systems: some organizational implications

Abstract. Often information systems (IS) are classified in three groups: (a) transactional, used mainly for co-ordination and resource allocation purposes at the operational level of a company; (b) tactical, often employed to support the resource procurement activities typical of middle management; and (c) information systems for strategic decision making, designed to help in the planning and strategy design processes which are the direct responsibility of top management. In general, the amount of care and management attention that companies give to these different types of systems is proportional to their position in this hierarchy: little attention is devoted to the mundane transaction-pushing systems and exquisite care is put into developing the sophisticated decision making aid for the CEO and his/her staff.
The IS/IT literature has been reporting quite commonly cases in which companies have attained or lost great competitive advantages by way of their transactional information systems [for example, Emery Worldwide, Baxter Healthcare ASAP system, and Frontier Airlines]. The aim of this paper is to identify actions that companies can take to realize potential benefits of their IS, in particular from their low-level, transactional IS.
Among other actions, we will conclude that companies would be better off if they: (a) have the IS department at the right place in the organization, staffed with people knowledgeable about the basic nature of the business in which the company is engaged; (b) are sensible to what can be called 'strategic maintenance' of systems, (c) set up a formal procedure for IS planning to ensure coherence between IS plans and business plans, derived, in turn, from business strategy, and (d) keep abreast of the relevant technology.
Several examples taken from European companies are used to illustrate these conclusions.     

Requirements engineering—exploring the influence of power and Thai values

This paper explores the impact of Thai social status and hierarchical decision-making processes during Requirements Engineering (RE) in business information systems development projects. The paper illustrates the interaction of RE processes and national culture and shows that culture can change the way processes are implemented, rather than process changing culture. Thai culture is naturally inherent in Thai daily life and Thais bring that into their work information practices. The concepts of power in Thai culture contributes toward hierarchical forms of communication and hierarchical relationships between systems analysts and decision-making process in Thai software houses, especially during RE, where information systems (IS) requirements need to be established for further development. The research shows that power significantly influences the decision making process and the construction of social status between clients and systems analysts in Thailand. The hierarchical structure of Thai organisations also contributes to a bureaucratic, elongated decision-making process during information systems development (ISD). Understanding the influence of power in Thai culture on RE will assist multinational IS consulting organisations to select, adapt, better manage, or change RE process methodologies.     

CRUDi framework proposal: financial industry application

The alignment of information systems with the business goals of an organisation, although a topic of great importance, is not always properly valued or taken into consideration. In general, managers have different opinions to chief information officers (CIOs) in relation to IS, especially with regard to their importance and value to the business and also in terms of investment needs. Here, we discuss and study new approaches to methods and tools for assessing the relative importance of each information system to business, focusing on the financial sector including banks and insurance companies. We suggest the introduction of new key indicators for better decision support and to identify investment priorities, and present results regarding the relative importance of each process to support the business strategy. The primary goal for the inherent research project is to analyse the main problems and difficulties encountered by IS and IT managers, featuring different players and how they relate. The main contributions of this work are the CRUDi framework as a tool to improve alignment between business and IS strategies and the CRUDi survey and its results qualifying the financial sector's opinion regarding the relative importance of processes and investments.     

Management of information systems: Insights from accounting research

This paper advances our knowledge of information systems (IS) management by applying ideas and insights from accounting. An integrative cost–benefit framework is developed and applied to four areas of research: chargeback, outsourcing, decision support, and business process re-engineering and improvement. We show that the accounting literature contributes significantly to scholarship on the management of IS.     

Internet-based information systems use in organizations: an information studies perspective

Abstract. This case study investigates various ways in which different internet-based information systems (IS) are used by organizational participants. Borrowing theoretical insights on information behaviour accumulated over 50 years of information studies research, a conceptual framework is presented to help understand and assess the social and organizational impacts of internet-based IS. The framework describes the use of internet-based IS as a dynamic cycle of information needs–seeking–use activity situated in the context of a firm's information environment. Research questions pertain to the process of how individuals in organizations seek and use information from internet-based IS to satisfy information needs. In terms of information needs, this involves understanding the problem situations that lead participants to use internet-based IS, as well as the characteristics of those problems beyond subject matter. With respect to information seeking, this involves analysing how information from internet-based systems is displayed and formatted to signal their potential usefulness. In terms of information use, this involves how information obtained from internet-based systems is used in practice to resolve or redefine problems. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used. Data collection involves web tracking to identify significant episodes of internet-based IS activity, as well as one-on-one interviews to explore the context behind these episodes. Results suggest that it is possible and valuable to identify scenarios of internet-based IS use dominant in an organizational work setting. Doing so can help to identify ways to improve the situated use of internet-based IS that ameliorate the information needs–seeking–use cycle in firms.     

A language-mapping approach to action-oriented development of information systems

Two important views in the development of information systems are the action view and the reaction view which govern the areas of business process modelling and information systems modelling, respectively. We suggest an approach to mediate between these partially conflicting views by specifying a language-mapping framework. In other words, we specify a transition from a process model with human actors to an IS model with inanimate agents.     

There’s More to Information Systems Development than Structured Approaches: Information Requirements Analysis as a Socially Mediated Process

Information systems (IS) development approaches are considered with particular reference to those aspects of the process most concerned with the determination of information requirements. The majority can be classified as adopting a unitary, objective perspective. This perspective fails to recognise the interpretative, inter-subjective nature of information and the importance of informal as well as formal data-processing systems. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion on socio-technical and soft approaches to IS development by providing a contrasting perspective on information requirements analysis as a process which is socially mediated. A framework is developed which places information requirements analysis in the context of strategic IS development. This locates social communication networks centrally in this process and raises implications for the practice of IS development, and of information requirements analysis.     

Modelling Off-the-Shelf Information Systems Requirements: An Ontological Approach

Requirements for choosing off-the-shelf information systems (OISR) differ from requirements for development of new information systems in that they do not necessarily provide complete specifications, thus allowing flexibility in matching an existing IS to the stated needs. We present a framework for OISR conceptual models that consists of four essential elements: business processes, business rules, information objects and required system services. We formalise the definitions of these concepts based on an ontological model. The ontology-based OISR model provides a framework to evaluate modelling languages on how appropriate they are for OISR requirements specifications. The evaluation framework is applied to the Object-Process Methodology, and its results are compared with a similar evaluation of ARIS. This comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the ontological framework for evaluating modelling tools on how well they can guide selection, implementation and integration of purchased software packages.     

VIVACE: A framework for the systematic evaluation of variability support in process-aware information systems

ContextThe increasing adoption of process-aware information systems (PAISs) such as workflow management systems, enterprise resource planning systems, or case management systems, together with the high variability in business processes (e.g., sales processes may vary depending on the respective products and countries), has resulted in large industrial process model repositories. To cope with this business process variability, the proper management of process variants along the entire process lifecycle becomes crucial.ObjectiveThe goal of this paper is to develop a fundamental understanding of business process variability. In particular, the paper will provide a framework for assessing and comparing process variability approaches and the support they provide for the different phases of the business process lifecycle (i.e., process analysis and design, configuration, enactment, diagnosis, and evolution).MethodWe conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) in order to discover how process variability is supported by existing approaches.ResultsThe SLR resulted in 63 primary studies which were deeply analyzed. Based on this analysis, we derived the VIVACE framework. VIVACE allows assessing the expressiveness of a process modeling language regarding the explicit specification of process variability. Furthermore, the support provided by a process-aware information system to properly deal with process model variants can be assessed with VIVACE as well.ConclusionsVIVACE provides an empirically-grounded framework for process engineers that enables them to evaluate existing process variability approaches as well as to select that variability approach meeting their requirements best. Finally, it helps process engineers in implementing PAISs supporting process variability along the entire process lifecycle.     

How useful are strategic plans for information systems?

Although much research has been done in the area of strategic planning for information systems (IS), relatively less research has focused on the output of the IS planning process, namely, the IS plan. This paper examines the usefulness of IS plans through a field survey of 136 IS executives. Results indicate that IS plans are generally perceived to be useful for supporting business objectives, improving systems integration, exploiting information technology (IT) for competitive advantage, and prioritising IS development projects. Conversely, IS plans are perceived to be less useful for clarifying the role of IS, evaluating IS performance, anticipating surprises and crisis, and adapting to unanticipated situations. Implications of these results are discussed.     

工作流系统在离散制造业的应用①

工作流技术通过对企业业务过程建模、业务过程管理和集成,规范企业业务流程,优化和重组企业业务,对促进企业管理规范化和信息化具有重要意义。Windows Work flow Foundation（以下简称WF）为开发基于工作流的应用程序提供了一个通用的框架,通过对WF框架的学习研究,结合在离散制造业的应用,开发了基于工作流的离散制造信息系统,提高了企业的工作效率和经济效益。     

Development and validation of an Internet self-efficacy scale

Although much research has been done in the area of strategic planning for information systems (IS), relatively less research has focused on the output of the IS planning process, namely, the IS plan. This paper examines the usefulness of IS plans through a field survey of 136 IS executives. Results indicate that IS plans are generally perceived to be useful for supporting business objectives, improving systems integration, exploiting information technology (IT) for competitive advantage, and prioritising IS development projects. Conversely, IS plans are perceived to be less useful for clarifying the role of IS, evaluating IS performance, anticipating surprises and crisis, and adapting to unanticipated situations. Implications of these results are discussed.     

P2P工作流系统的调度框架设计和实现

为了把参与者信息用于业务流程调度,同时给出基于流程实例迁移服务的一个可扩展性强的调度框架,提出了一个在P2P工作流系统上的流程实例调度框架.通过在框架中加入一个根据参与者位置调度的算法和一个负载均衡算法,证实了该框架的确能够针对业务流程的不同特点进行决策从而提高流程实例的执行效率.通过网页绑定服务和参与者绑定服务保证流程迁移后能继续和业务系统交互,表明了调度框架的实用性.     

Critical reflection in planning information systems: a contribution from critical systems thinking

This paper presents a methodological framework to support the process of information systems (IS) planning in organizations. It draws on the ideas of critical systems thinking (CST), a research perspective that encourages the analysis of stakeholders' understandings prior to the selection and implementation of planning methods. The framework emphasizes continuous identification of concerns from stakeholders, and facilitates critical reflection in the exploration of possibilities for improvement. Some of these possibilities might require the support of IS and communication technologies. To define the framework, two systems theories are used: boundary critique and autopoiesis. The first one enables critical reflection on values and assumptions about potential situations or marginalization. The second one fosters continuous dialogue, listening and mutual collaboration between participants. With these theories, the framework enables people to reflect on issues of inclusion, exclusion and marginalization, and to participate in the design of plans for improvement. Ultimately, the definition of this framework suggests the importance of critical reflection about ethics to improve the practice of IS planning.     

Novelties Within the Framework for Information System Due Diligence

The information system (IS) field lacks a scientifically based analytical tool for rapid delivery of IS due diligence. In 2013, a framework for IS due diligence (FISDD) was published. The work on this framework was continued with proceeding development and evaluation. One of the most important objectives of today’s business is making savings concerning various resources. The main novelty of the upgraded framework is the replacement of some of the manually conducted questionnaires with web-based questionnaires. This novelty reduces the total time required for on-site ISDD activities by 35–50%, as has been the result of several real cases. The results demonstrate and confirm the usefulness of upgrading FISDD, which increases its efficiency in DD processes, which is the main contribution of this article.     

Client-Led Information System Creation (CLIC): navigating the gap

Abstract.  This paper offers a new framework to facilitate an interpretive approach to client-led information system development, referred to as CLIC (Client-Led Information System Creation). The challenge of moving seamlessly through a process of information systems (IS) design is still the subject of much research in the IS field. Attempts to address the difficulties of 'bridging the gap' between a client's business needs and an information system definition have hitherto not provided a coherent and practical approach. Rather than attempting to bridge the gap, this paper describes an approach to managing this gap by facilitating the clients' navigating through the information system design process (or inquiry process) in a coherent manner. The framework has been developed through practice, and the paper provides an example of navigating through the design phase taken from an Action Research field study in a major UK bank.     

多Agent流程协同建模研究

流程建模是企业变化管理的基础，企业的网络化，分布化导致流程的复杂化，这给传统的企业建模提出了挑战，基于网络的群组流程建模是有效的解决方法，本质上讲群组建模是群决策的过程，分布式群体决策支持系统的发展为群组建模提供了技术保障，该文给出了一种流程的协同建模系统，为辅助建模小组一致地交流，系统采用了agent技术协调。     

Hitting a moving target: a process model of information systems control change

Controls are widely regarded as a key factor in driving high performing organisational processes. However, because of ongoing changes within information systems (IS) processes, control modifications are commonly required in order to maintain performance levels. Although past research recognises the ongoing benefits derived from successful control changes, there is a limited understanding of the actual steps taken by organisations, particularly with regard to avoiding negative performance implications such as process delays or employee resistance. This research draws on empirical data from six case studies to propose a new process model that depicts the interconnected steps involved in control changes. Our findings suggest that the sources of IS control change may be more diverse than most past research suggests and that control changes within non‐project‐oriented processes (e.g. enterprise architecture) present additional challenges in comparison to project‐oriented processes (e.g. systems development). Insights from this research can aid practitioners in streamlining control changes as a means to improve effectiveness, whilst also contributing to research by uncovering an enhanced understanding of why and how control changes are made in IS processes.