Evaluation of strategic investments in information technology
Communications of the ACM
Justifying investments in new information technologies
Journal of Management Information Systems
Towards a theory of strategic use of information resources: an inductive approach
Information and Management
The productivity paradox of information technology
Communications of the ACM
Identifying the value and importance of an information system application
Information and Management
Justifying data warehousing investments
Journal of Database Management
Competitive Advantage through Information Technology
Competitive Advantage through Information Technology
An Approach to Evaluating E-Business Information Systems Projects
Information Systems Frontiers
Information Technology for Management: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy
Information Technology for Management: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy
Journal of Management Information Systems - Special section: The impacts of business process change on organizational performance
Journal of Management Information Systems
Measuring the organizational impact of information technology investment: an exploratory study
Journal of Management Information Systems - Special section: Realizing value from information technology investment
Identifying Software Project Risks: An International Delphi Study
Journal of Management Information Systems
An Integrative Contingency Model of Software Project Risk Management
Journal of Management Information Systems
Information Resources Management Journal
Information systems evaluation: an ongoing measure
International Journal of Business Information Systems
Thirst for Business Value of Information Technology
International Journal of Technology Diffusion
International Journal of IT/Business Alignment and Governance
Hi-index | 0.00 |
Assessing the economic feasibility of information technology (IT) projects remains a challenge for most organizations. On one hand there are concerns for the rising IT costs, on the other hand organizations may lose significantly if they do not make an appropriate investment in IT. Considering the range of IT projects, a single, standardized capital budgeting approach may not serve the best interests of organizations. This paper presents a framework to help evaluate different IT projects through a mix of suitable methods. The framework is based on the classification of IT projects along a discretionary-mandatory dimension into four types: purely discretionary, mainly discretionary, mainly mandatory, and purely mandatory. A set of factors are identified that may influence the final classification of an IT project into one of the four types. This classification is used to arrive at suitable IT evaluation techniques and methods. Use of strict financial evaluation criteria is suggested for discretionary projects. The need for analyzing financial risks associated with IT projects is also identified and it is suggested that higher standards of project acceptance be used for riskier projects that are not deemed mandatory in the earlier analysis. The framework should be useful for information systems researchers and practitioners in streamlining the assessment of IT projects.