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Process Failure in a Rapidly Changing High-Tech Organisation: A System Dynamics View

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Conceptual Modeling – ER ’98 (ER 1998)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1507))

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Abstract

IS is still suffering from high rates of failure and dissatisfaction by users with the delivered product. Respondents to a recent survey [19] said that the major reason for IS failure or poor performance is due to the lack of consideration of “softer” organisational issues – not technological reasons. This is hardly surprising given that most current modelling techniques are based on the structured analysis paradigm and do not easily lend themselves to modelling softer issues. Furthermore, there is a growing consensus that much remains to be done in order to determine exactly how softer factors influence the implementation of computer systems. This paper reports on research in progress at an Australian high-tech organisation where a number of modelling techniques were used to determine why processes within an implemented system were failing over time. The modelling techniques included data flow diagrams, flow charts and system dynamics modelling. The latter proved highly effective at demonstrating the impact of the softer organisational issues on the processes. The paper further emphasises the need to consider a system holistically during the requirements specification and design phases.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Research Centre for Advanced Systems Engineering, Macquarie University, Australia

    Bruce Campbell

Authors
  1. Bruce Campbell
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, National University of Singapore,  

    Tok-Wang Ling

  2. Department of MIS, Eller School of Management, University of Arizona, 430J McClelland Hall, 85721, Tucson, AZ

    Sudha Ram

  3. Department of Computer Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    Mong Li Lee

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Campbell, B. (1998). Process Failure in a Rapidly Changing High-Tech Organisation: A System Dynamics View. In: Ling, TW., Ram, S., Li Lee, M. (eds) Conceptual Modeling – ER ’98. ER 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1507. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49524-6_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49524-6_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65189-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49524-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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