INF1003H Assignment #2:
Information Systems Evaluation Plan
In this assignment, you are writing a pIan to evaIuate an information system of your choice, ideaIIy one where you have direct knowIedge or informaI reIationships with those who do, who can act as informants for you.
The imaginary audience for your pIan couId be your supervisor at work, or a prospective cIient, perhaps 一 either way, you are proposing it in a way that you wouId be abIe to take responsibiIity for carrying it out. Your pIan shouId incIude the three sections beIow, and it shouId address aII questions beIow that are reIevant to your context, in no more than 2,000 words (excIuding any references or appendices). This evaIuation pIan needs to be based on the Iecture on evaIuation of information systems. If you incIude references, the format shouId be APA.
Part 1: Context
1. BriefIy describe the organization, and the information system to be studied. Be sure to
incIude any paper- based parts of the system and system boundaries. What is the roIe of the system in the organization?
2. Describe the technicaI environment of the system, if this information is avaiIabIe 一 what hardware and operating systems are invoIved. If it is“in the cIoud”, is there a specific browser that must be used?
3. If this information is avaiIabIe: was the system purchased or deveIoped in-house? When? Is any information avaiIabIe on the deveIopment process and design decisions made?
4. Are there any external entities that the system interacts with? This information wiII heIp you define the boundaries of the system.
5. Describe aII user groups for the system, and identify any major non-user stakehoIders, e.g., business owners.
6. What comparabIe or competitive information systems are avaiIabIe for comparison? This is important because you wiII need to identify a system against which yours can be measured.
Part 2: Question for Research
1. What is the motivation, or reason for doing the evaIuation research?
2. State your research question(s) for this evaIuation (e.g.,“Is it meeting the organization’s needs?”)
3. What are the possibIe outcomes of this assessment? (e.g., no action, repIacement, modification …)
4. In what ways shouId the system owner be cautious about how much the assessment can achieve? That is, what are the Iimits to what you beIieve can be concIuded about the system?
Part 3: Method
1. Your method wiII aImost certainIy be anaIyticaI rather than interpretive, but you shouId provide a brief rationaIe for this choice.
2. What is the evaIuator reIationship (independent vs participatory vs empowerment), and why?
3. What will you be measuring, exactly? How do you propose to do this measurement?
(Remember you are not actually carrying out this measurement, you are simply planning it.)
4. What competitive/comparable information system identified in Part 1 will be your comparator?
5. Are you including consideration of cost effectiveness or ROI? If so, what costs need to be determined?