Download Ethics In The New Economy

What is Failure
“an IS system is some combination of
hardware, communication technology and
software designed to handle information
related to one or more business processes”
“the failure of an IS occurs when the system
as a whole does not operate as expected and its
overall performance is sub-optimal”
(Flowers, 1996)
What makes these disasters
different?
Degrees of failure:
• ‘flawed but usable’
• ‘totally unusable’
• ‘unused’
• ‘absolute disaster’
Many ‘flawed’ systems are in use – only hear of
‘absolute’ disasters
“an IS can be termed if, on
implementation it does not perform
as originally intended or if it is so
‘user-hostile’ – is rejected by users
& is underutilised! (Flowers, 1996)
• If cost of IS development exceeds any benefits
system may bring throughout its use
• Failure – if project abandoned before
completion
What constitutes IS failure?
Not solely from technical perspective
• Social, economic, political & ethical environment
in which development takes place Sauer, (1993)
• Complex combinations of organisational,
financial, technical, human, political factors
What contributes to IS failure?
Failure throughout development:
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Project initiation
Systems analysis/design
Programming/testing
implementation
What contributes to IS failure?
• Poor definition of Project Scope
– Commencing the project before the project
scope has been decided
• Fundamental design and architectural decisions are
made, hardware acquired, programming commences
• Solution
– Create a detailed project specification, sign off
it before starting the work
What contributes to IS failure?
• Lack of Input from End Users
– Users unwilling to use the a new system if they
do not understand it, or fail to meet their needs
• Creating the system with inadequate or no input
from the end users
• Solution
– Involve a good mix of the intended end users in
every phaset of the project
What contributes to IS failure?
• Lack of Upper management Commitment
– IT projects are expensive and time consuming
– Upper management needs to understands the
expected benefits of the project and is committed to
it
• Solution ?
What contributes to IS failure?
• Technical decisions made by the wrong
people
– Management needs to ask IT to investigate the
new technology
• Solution
– Take time to educate upper management
– Evaluate technology and report findings
What contributes to IS failure?
• Delays in completion
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Changes to feature set
Changes to underlying architecture of the system
Poor estimation at the start of the project
Key employees assigned to new projects, new employees fill
the gap and extra time getting up to the speed on the project
• Solution
– Good Project management
– Carefully monitor the progress
– Missing an interim deadline – immediately find out the
what is going wrong and take appropriate steps to
correct the problem
What contributes to IS failure?
• Cost overruns
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Delays in completion
IT personnel demanding large salary and more extensive perks
Talented employees changing jobs more often
Increased cost for training, recruitment
• Solution
– Good design and strong project management
– Reusing standard components
– Reducing the staff turnover
• Excellent leadership and management practices
• Competitive compensation packages
• Career advancement opportunities
What contributes to IS failure?
• Insufficient testing
– Expensive to create a proper test plan
– Expensive and time consuming to conduct the testing
– Pressure to deliver the project
• Pressure from deadline and budget
• Solution
– Thorough testing built into project budget
– Never make up for delays by reducing the amount of
testing
Why IS projects fail
• Over commitment to projects
• Managers unable to take impartial view of
project
• Social pressures that often exist within
organisation
Where do the problems lie?
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Organisations are communities of people
People compete for power and resources
Differences of opinions & values
Conflicts of priorities and goals
Bonds of alliance
Political dimensions
Developments in government sector can provide
examples of externally set deadlines
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Political, commercial implications
Inadequate testing
Decision-making
Almost every worker in industrialised countries
use IS’s for daily work
• Development & implementation of systems is
responsibility of IS professionals
• Conduct influenced by ethical attitudes
Throughout duration of IS
development project:
• Numerous activities and decisions to be
made
• Most will have an ethical dimension
To understand overall scale of
failure – need to look at system as
a whole!
• Information Systems are central to the
economies of the developed world
• There are many failures related to these systems
• Increasing concern about these failures and
discussion as to the cause – association with
neglect of professional ethics