The impact of user risks on project performance has long been acknowledged by researchers. Identifying approaches or capabilities to reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of user risks and their consequences is then critical. By viewing information system development (ISD) as a knowledge intensive process, this study attempts to explore possible knowledge or capabilities that must be present to counter risks related to user risk elicited from the information processing perspective. We adopted the uncertainty reduction and coping concepts, and extended their study by restructuring the theoretical model to align it with the proposed reduction and coping concepts. Specifically, the effects of user risk reduction capabilities are reflected in the impacts of user participation, the relation between user with information system developer and user informance experience. At the same time, risk coping is demonstrated by hypothesizing the moderating role of ISD business expertise on the relationship between user risk and project performance. Data collected from 235 IS professionals on the basis of their experiences of recently completed ISD projects confirmed all of our hypotheses. The results successfully demonstrated that the eliciting of user risk can be reduced when users participate in the project, users and developers have wonderful relationship and users have good experiences. Furthermore, the impact of risk on project performance can be eased when developers have sufficient ISD business expertise. This study concludes with a presentation of the implication and conclusion.

Service-Dominant (S-D) Logics are the basis of contemporary economic activities. Based on this concept, Information System department should transform its role from a technical supporter to a service provider. S-D Logics highlight the importance to build up a successful value-cocreated service systems. This implies that, in addition to technical capabilities and business knowledge, IS department should possess certain capabilities to collaborate with other functional departments to delivery maximum value. The purpose of this research is to explore possible collaborative capabilities that IS personnel should possess, besides the technical skills and business know-how. This research adopted exploratory case study method. Through in-depth interview with developers and users of three complex information system development(ISD) projects, a total of 14 collaborative capabilities that IS personnel need were identified. The relationships among those capabilities as well as their impacts on performance were also identified. Implications of the research results to practitioners and academia are also provided.

The management information systems (MIS) department has played a role that supports information systems development, functionality and business operations in the organization. However, information system development (ISD) projects have a high failure rate because the users¡¦ needs cannot be met. Most of the previous literature indicated that users should be involved and participate in ISD projects to enhance project performance. Nevertheless, the failure rate of ISD projects is still high because of the complex relationship between users and developers. To deal with this problem, previous studies indicated that co-production behavior can facilitate project performance and success. They did not discuss the drivers that influence users to work as co-producers in ISD projects. Different from previous studies, and based on the MARS model concept adopted from the organizational behavior field, this study applies some drivers of co-production and implies that the information system is co-produced by users and developers. Via the MARS model, we attempt to explore the critical role of motivation, IT knowledge, role clarity, and organizational support in influencing user co-production behavior. We also expected that co-production behavior has an influence on system quality and user satisfaction from the perspective of service-dominant logic. Data collected from 178 users confirmed our hypothesis that co-production behavior is positively associated with user satisfaction and system quality, and extrinsic motivation has a positively significant influence on user satisfaction co-production behavior. Finally, the implications for academia and practitioners are also provided.

This thesis deals with the domain of software product methodologies in the context of innovation. In the opening part of the thesis the field of innovation and creativity is analysed. In the next chapter the reasons justifying the necessity to create a methodology for innovative software product development are given. The main intention of this thesis was to create a new methodology of innovative software product development; so the next section focuses on this goal. The new methodology relies on current agile software development methodologies, best practices in innovation management and approaches to startup creation. Based on these principles, the requirements are set up and individual components selected that will form the new methodology. A model of the new methodology was created using tool Eclipse Process Framework. Consequently the methodology was validated by its prospective users.

User participation and its relationship to system success have been discussed in the information systems (IS) literature from many theoretical and practical perspectives. In reality, most of this discussion is grounded in empirical research that has yielded mixed results on the importance of user participation and its relationship to system success. The goal of this dissertation is to extend the line of inquiry into user participation during information system development by providing information systems researchers and IS practitioners with both a valid theoretical and practical investigation of a successful IS solution. This investigation organizes the study within a descriptive model that emerges from the different traditions of prior research and uncovers the approach to user participation in a successful IS solution. This user participation approach (UPA) model becomes the structure for the systematic arrangement of user participation approaches into a four-fold typology according to criteria or extrinsic information attributed to them in the research literature. A case study analysis and social network analysis of a successful IS solution will be used to describe, map and measure the relationships, activities, processes, and flows between participants, thus providing a descriptive and visual analysis of the relational structure that emerges. Indeed, these methodological approaches conceptualize the attributes and the relations of user participation during information system development and give insightful perspectives on how a successful IS solution is developed and implemented. The resulting outcome is a description of a successful approach to user participation and some practical recommendations on how to increase the chance of success in a system solution.

Programinio kodo generavimo iš veiklos taisyklių modelių sritis iki šiol yra menkai ištirta ir tai neigiamai veikia veiklos taisyklių koncepcijos plėtrą. Nagrinėjama kodo generavimo iš grafinių IS (informacinių sistemų) reikalavimus atspindinčių modelių problema. Pristatomas modifikuotu Roso metodu grindžiamo veiklos taisyklių modeliavimo IS projektavimo stadijoje metodo tyrimas, siekiant sukurti adekvačią programinio kodo generavimo iš taisyklių diagramų metodiką. / One of the reasons for a relatively slow growth of the business rules approach could be the lack of developments in the field of program code generation from the business rules models. During this work methods for code generation from IS requirements models are analysed. The focus is placed on a modified Ross method based rules modelling method aiming to create an adequate code generation methodology.

Communication is a critical success factor to information systems development (ISD) projects. Intercultural communication involves two or more people from diverse cultures communication and using different worldviews and context transmit messages to each other. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding on the influence of the intercultural communication on the performance of an ISD team. In order to achieve this aim one needs to understand information systems research and to justify the selection of the chosen research methodology; to understand information systems development and ISD teams; to understand culture and communication; to understand what affects communication has between different cultures; to discover how cultural misunderstandings impact upon ISD team performance and to discover the steps taken to eliminate miscommunication due to cultural issues in organizations. The interpretive research was carried out in several organizations in Gauteng province of South Africa that develop or has a department that develops information systems. A multiple case study using interviews and content analysis as research methods were instrumental in coming to the conclusion of the research. A multicultural dyad conducted interviews in three participating organizations. Diverse information systems development team members participated in this study. The results of the study describe how intercultural communication influences ISD teams in a South African environment. They also provide an understanding on culture and communication. The results of the study also report on culture and personality as determinants of behaviour, and also on different perceptions of culture. The different ISD team dynamics may be affected by team members’ culture and personality. The results also report on intercultural communication in information systems development teams and how it is affected by the different cultural context. / Thesis (MSc (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Communication is a critical success factor to information systems development (ISD) projects. Intercultural communication involves two or more people from diverse cultures communication and using different worldviews and context transmit messages to each other. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding on the influence of the intercultural communication on the performance of an ISD team. In order to achieve this aim one needs to understand information systems research and to justify the selection of the chosen research methodology; to understand information systems development and ISD teams; to understand culture and communication; to understand what affects communication has between different cultures; to discover how cultural misunderstandings impact upon ISD team performance and to discover the steps taken to eliminate miscommunication due to cultural issues in organizations. The interpretive research was carried out in several organizations in Gauteng province of South Africa that develop or has a department that develops information systems. A multiple case study using interviews and content analysis as research methods were instrumental in coming to the conclusion of the research. A multicultural dyad conducted interviews in three participating organizations. Diverse information systems development team members participated in this study. The results of the study describe how intercultural communication influences ISD teams in a South African environment. They also provide an understanding on culture and communication. The results of the study also report on culture and personality as determinants of behaviour, and also on different perceptions of culture. The different ISD team dynamics may be affected by team members’ culture and personality. The results also report on intercultural communication in information systems development teams and how it is affected by the different cultural context. / Thesis (MSc (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Information systems design was investigated and a model was developed aimed obtaining organisational advantages through quality and participation. This was developed by connecting high quality information assurance in an IS to the needs of the organisation and incorporating the users in the development through participation factors. The model generates a instruction that connects the impact on the individual and organisation when developing an IS to the organisational benefits. Its purpose is to enable the benefits of motivation, awareness and empowerment. We applied the model using the case study approach for connecting the model to a real life situation. The results provided a blueprint to implement the IS design strategy and may be investigated later to verify if the advantages were reached. The work is of great interest to project managers, software developers and programmers / Design av informationssystem var undersökt. En modell togs fram med målet att knyta organisatoriska fördelar från kvalitet och medverkan av organisationen i framtagandet av ett IS. Modellen skapades utifrån två ståndpunkter, hög kvalitet på datasäkerhet och de behov som finns inom organisationen samt en inkorporerad medverkan av användarna i framtagandet av IS. Modellen fungerar som en instruktion med målet att koppla påverkan på organisationen samt individen av att implementera ett IS till de organisatoriska fördelarna genererade av förändringen. Resultatet möjliggör fördelarna av motivation, medvetenhet och empowerment hos organisationen samt individen. Vi applicerade modellen i ett verkligt företag. Resultatet blev en beskrivning för realisering av en IS designstrategi. Denna strategi bör senare bli utvärderad för att säkerställa att det önskade målet har uppnåtts. Detta arbete skulle kunna intressera projektledare, mjukvara utvecklare och programmerare.

<p>The aims of this dissertation are to investigate the use and usefulness of patterns in Information Systems Engineering and to identify future areas of research. In order to do this there is a need to survey different types of patterns and find a common concept of patterns. A pattern is based on experience found in the real world. A text or a model or a combination of the both can describe the pattern. A pattern is typically described in terms of context, forces, problem, and solution. These can be explicitly expressed or implicitly found in the description of the pattern.</p><p>The types of patterns dealt with are: object-oriented patterns; design patterns, analysis patterns; data model patterns; domain patterns; business patterns; workflow patterns and the deontic pattern. The different types of patterns are presented using the authors' own terminology.</p><p>The patterns described in the survey are classified with respect to different aspects. The intention of this analysis is to form a taxonomy for patterns and to bring order into the vast amount of patterns. This is an important step in order to find out how patterns are used and can be used in Information Systems Engineering. The aspects used in the classification are: level of abstraction; text or model emphasis; product or process emphasis; life cycle stage usage and combinations of these aspects.</p><p>Finally an outline for future areas of research is presented. The areas that have been considered of interest are: patterns and Information Systems Engineering methods; patterns and tools (tool support for patterns); patterns as a pedagogical aid; the extraction and documentation of patterns and patterns and novel applications of information technology. Each future area of research is sketched out.</p>