Re-conceptualizing Information System Success: The IS-Impact Measurement Model

This paper re-conceptualizes 'information system success' as a formative, multidimensional index. A validated and widely accepted such index would facilitate cumulative research on the impacts of IS, while at the same time providing a benchmark for organizations to track their IS performance. The proposed IS-Impact measurement model represents the stream of net benefits from an Information System (IS), to date and anticipated, as perceived by all key-user-groups. Model measures are formulated to be robust, economical and simple, yielding results that are comparable across diverse systems and contexts, and from multiple user perspectives. The model includes 4 dimensions in two halves. The 'impact' half measures benefits to date, or Individual- and Organizational-Impact; the 'quality' half, uses System-Quality and Information-Quality as proxies for probable future impacts. Study findings evidence the necessity, additivity and completeness of these four dimensions. The validation study involved three separate surveys, including exploratory and confirmatory phases preceded by an identification-survey. Content analysis of 485 qualitative 'impacts' cited by 137 respondents from across 27 Australian Government Agencies that implemented SAP Financials in the late 90's, identified salient dimensions and measures. The resultant a-priori model ('pool' of 37 measures) was operationalized in the subsequent specification-survey, yielding 310 responses across the same 27 agencies. The confirmation-survey, employing 27 validated measures from the specification-survey, was next conducted in a large university that had implemented ORACLE Financials. Confirmatory analysis of the 153 responses provides further strong evidence of model validity.