Expecting the unexpected : beyond teleological information systems development
Date
2008-03
Authors
Le Roux, Daniel Bartholomeus
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Information systems have become a standard and essential feature of contemporary
organisations as they are applied to enable the management of information as an
organisational asset in the unstable business world of the knowledge economy. The academic
field, though extremely young, is a dynamic permutation of various professional domains and
scientific research areas, making information systems a complex and often confusing subject.
Traditional information systems development methodologies, like the Systems Development
Life Cycle, approach systems development with a teleological paradigm. This implies that
information systems should be developed to adhere to a certain set of predefined system
requirements. Although organisations have widely accepted this paradigm, some experts
argue that it is insufficient when organisations are subject to frequent change as a result of
turbulent business sectors. They suggest that information systems will operate in a changing
context that will render any predefined set of system requirements futile.
In contrast to the teleological paradigm, these experts proclaim the ateleological paradigm as
a more suitable approach to information systems development in organisations that require
the inherent ability to adapt to a changing environment. The ateleological paradigm
approaches an information system as a living system that should have the ability to adapt
continuously to emerging or changing system requirements. Instead of being driven by
system requirements that were fixed at a specific point in time, these information systems are
developed over time continuum to ensure that the system remains relevant with the changing
context in which it operates.
Tailorable Information Systems (TIS) is an information systems development approach that
embodies the ateleological paradigm. As a central principle, TIS operates around the notion
that information systems development should be done by the end-users of the system as
opposed to the traditional system analysts and developers. By empowering the end-users of
an information system with adequate technology and relying on their technical sophistication,
organisations can implement truly flexible systems that are particularly responsive to
contextual changes.
In the light of the ateleological paradigm, this thesis critically evaluates traditional
information systems development approaches and compares these two approaches that
support the notion of an information system as a living system.
Description
Thesis (MA (Information Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Keywords
Information systems, Development, Paradigm, Changing requirements, Dissertations -- Information science, Theses -- Information science