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During the 1980s and 1990s, there have been many reports about the success and failure of investments in ICT and information systems. Failures in particular have drawn a lot of attention. The outcome of the implementation of information and communication systems has often been disastrous. Research does not show that results have improved over time. This raises the question: why do so many ICT projects perform so badly? The aim of this text is to discuss measures to improve the results of information systems. The author identifies various factors that explain the shortfall of information systems. Subsequently, he closely examines measures that can be taken to remove the causes of failure. When organizations are confronted with information problems, they will almost automatically look for ICT solutions. However, Prakkan argues that more fundamental and often cheaper solutions are in many cases available. When looking for solutions to information problems, the inter-relationship between organization, information and the people within the organization should explicitly be taken into account. The measures that the author proposes are based on organizational redesign, particularly using the sociotechnical approach. In cases where ICT solutions do have to be introduced, Prakken discusses a number of precautionary measures that will help their implementation. The book aims to contribute to the scientific debate on how to solve information problems, and is suitable for graduate and postgraduate courses. It is also helpful to managers.
