The Challenges of Measuring the Quality of Information Systems in the Private vs Public Sector

Abstract

Information systems (IS) are designed to deliver useful information in support of business operations such as corporate strategy, general operations, management analysis and decision making process. Regardless of the state of the economic market, the investments in implementing and maintaining information systems must enable an organisation to fulfil their business demands in a more efficient manner. However, there are very few options available to decision makers that provide guarantees on the effectiveness of information systems. Therefore, decision makers and managers that are responsible for adopting or retaining information systems must rely primarily on conceptual or theoretical models for measuring the quality of information systems which increases the margin of error or inaccuracies. This overarching issue of measuring the quality of information systems means that the effectiveness and cost benefits of implementing information systems may not be realised until a considerable amount of time has passed since the initial investments. This issue, amongst many other that will be identified throughout this paper, is applicable to both the private and public sector. However, the measuring of information systems effectiveness in the public sector raises some unique and significant additional challenges that the private sector is often immune to. This paper highlights some of the novel challenges identified in the public sector in order to invoke additional studies or models of measuring the success of information systems that are designed specifically for the public sector that do not rely upon profit-based outcomes and measurables.