Linking knowledge transformation to information systems evaluation

The evaluation and assessment of information systems (IS) is rapidly becoming an important and significant topic for study as well as practice. As such, the application of appraisal frameworks within technology management scenarios in industrial organizations, is vital to determining IS project success and / or failure. The information and knowledge requirements of evaluation appear to suggest that mapping benefits, risks and costs to organizational objectives and strategy, should result in a clearer and more rational appraisal process. However, in doing so, it is not clear from the extant literature within the field of IS evaluation, what aspects of knowledge relate to human and organizational factors in this decision-making task. Hence in order to elucidate this issue, the authors attempt to highlight those extant components of knowledge which contribute to the overall ISE process, within a case organization. This is achieved via an analysis of case study data against the well known knowledge transformation model proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi. As a result of this, the authors present a model detailing these factors in the context of the IS evaluation lifecycle.