it consultants and packaged software selection debra howcroft cresc and mbs university of...
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IT Consultants and
Packaged Software Selection
Debra HowcroftCRESC and MBS
University of Manchester, [email protected]
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Research Focus
• The process of selection and procurement of a software package within a small organization
• Analyses the case in the context of Markus and Bjorn-Anderson’s (1987) framework of power
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Packaged software
• Increasing numbers of organizations shifting from custom to packaged software
• Sold as an ‘IT solution’ with a track record of success
• Delivers complex systems in short time-frame
• ‘Package paradox’ (Williams, 2005)
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Product-oriented development
• Focus is on developing and ‘shipping’ a generic product
• Standardisation is pre-requisite for commodification (Fan et al. 2000)
• Developers (rather than users) needs are central
• IT consultants role is crucial as they position themselves between IT vendors and the client
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Inscribed assumptions
• Packaged software is itself embedded or inscribed with assumptions, values and opinions – ‘frozen organizational discourse’ (Bowker and
Star, 1994)
• Software embodies scripts of particular behaviours (Akrich, 1992)– Organization may need to change itself or the
package
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Guidelines on selection and procurement
DefineUser
Requirements
Package
EvaluationFinal selection
and purchase
(Lynch, 1987; Sharland, 1991; Bansler and Havn, 1994; Chau, 1995; Stefanou, 2001) (Martin and McClure, 1983; Nelson et al., 1996; KPMG, 1998) )
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Power framework
• Markus and Bjorn-Anderson drawn on Lukes (1974) three-dimensional view of power– Considers covert power– Seeks to problematize consensus
• This framework is applied to custom systems development
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Power framework
• Technical exercise of power– IS professionals select design features that users
object to
• Structural exercise of power– IS professionals create organizational structures and
routines that give them formal authority
• Conceptual exercise of power– IS professionals define the parameters of design
• Symbolic exercise of power– IS professionals shape users desires and values
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Research Method
• Action research
• Our role as researchers’ ranged from that of detached observer to fully engaged participant
• Our primary responsibility was to the IT Manager
• Multiple techniques of data collection
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Case study setting
• Owner-managed business• Established in 1990, three locations, with a
turnover of £1.1m• Around 20 internal staff and 20 external
consultants• MD had a strong organizational ‘vision’• IT systems established in an ad-hoc
manner, running independently of each other
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The Client Tracking Process
Employed or Performance Improvement
Client(s) MentoringMentoring
The Research Department and External Consultants
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Gathering Requirements
• We advised of the importance of discussing requirements with users
• A focus day was planned• Documentation hoped to appeal to
senior management
“to provide a business class service and grow effectively in the future whilst maintaining efficiency in all areas” (Board of Directors Document)
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The Product Search
• Project team made use of marketing literature, internet, commercial product guides etc. to short-list products
• Negotiations set up with three CRM vendors.
Party A: Siebel
Vendor B: Sage
Party C and D: Goldmine
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The ‘Beauty Parade’
• Party C’s ‘standard’ product– ‘Goldmine isn’t for us’– Wanted exploration of custom development
• Party D’s ‘personalised’ product– Vendor primed by project team– Marginally more expensive than Party C– Same Product– Budget Doubled– Scope extended
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Implementation Process
• The package roll out order changed significantly
• Workflow day planned with end-users
• Signing off the workflow document
“This isn’t over, I expect the workflow document to be double the size it is now – you just see.”(Interview with IT Manager)
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PS and the technical exercise of power
• Sociotechnical boundary is fluid
• Arguably, Goldmine is already fixed to a certain degree
• IT consultants position themselves as knowledgeable experts and define the sociotechnical boundary according to their audience
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PS and the structural exercise of power
• Appointment of the IT Manager initiated a process of ‘IS professionalisation’ which saw the development of a number of policies
• Linked to the desire to provide greater control over the forthcoming project
• Externally, there are guidelines that govern how packages should be adopted
• Policies on new product releases, patches, and upgrades are also determined by vendor organizations
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PS and the conceptual exercise of power
• At the market level, packaged software products are sold on the basis of realising an ‘ideal’
• System objectives were decided by the senior management team– improved profitability and enhanced market share
• Boundaries shift over time to fit the changing needs of senior management– ‘consultants do not so much target themselves at a
particular niche as seek to create a niche and persuade clients that they are within it’ (Bloomfield and Danieli, 1995 )
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PS and the symbolic exercise of power
• The myths or fictional narratives of PS become increasingly pervasive as the benefits are evangelised
• Technology = progress– the CRM package would contribute towards
enhancing productivity and profitability via standardisation of activities
• The power of the Board of Directors is evident in the process of persuasion and enrolment surrounding the securing of the financial resources for the project
• Legitimizing devices of language, myth, ceremony, and rituals are all evident
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Conclusion
• The categories of power should not be viewed separately, but are interwoven
• M&BA Framework has resonance in a packaged software environment
• Increasing market-orientation (Sawyer, 2001) has meant that power issues are operationalised both within the organization and in the marketplace, thus influencing the role of various parties– IT consultants play a primary role as third-party implementers,
liaising between vendors and the adopting organization– IT professionals are expected to negotiate a range of financial
and contractual issues with IT consultants– end-users involved in operational issues have minimal
participation and influence.
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References
• Howcroft D and Light B (2002) A study of user involvement in packaged software selection, Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Information Systems, (eds. Applegate, L, Galliers R D and DeGross J I), 69-77.
• Howcroft D and Light B (2006) Reflections on issues of power in packaged software selection, Information Systems Journal,16, 215-235.