Evaluation of IT Applications

Conclusions

In this chapter we have argued that in some instances rational processes and implementation patterns for formal methods as the CBA to be applied. The CBA has its strength and weakness in its simplicity. Moving towards the organizing of activities through application of IT rather than moving toward organization of process through IT, the value of CBA is less obvious for government and should to an increasingly degree reflect activities and the people that work with the activities.

Another challenge for the evaluation research is to carefully consider the independent and dependent variables for the study. Whereas most could agree that there is a short-term, dynamic and interactive relationship between the governmental unit, the customers, and the technology, most evaluations take a more long term, simple and uni-directional view.

The proposed framework with process and flow variables was applied to two cases on e-procurement and web-services respectively. The cases illustrate efforts to acquire evaluation data provide an opportunity to access dimensions of the IT application in ways that we would not have done without the formal evaluation. Therefore the formal evaluation can complement the informal and daily evaluation of IT systems and in situations where the decision to acquire the IT application has not yet been taken.

The content and flow variables that access the impacts can be part of the ongoing dynamics of IT development targeted at lowering overhead costs, eliminate applications that have an internal focus exclusively, and concentrate on activities rather than formal organizations. This is useful and constructive knowledge to have in mind when reading the next chapter that discusses developing IT applications for government.