Information and Knowledge Management using ArcGIS ModelBuilder

Juha Kontio
Phase
In stallation
Operational use
Subphases Functions
Phase III:
Piloting
Structure/format of students’ individual
study plan
Students’
Analysis
Process definitions
individual study
Desing
Data transfer to/from Study Register
IS
plans and
Tailoring
connections to
Testing
study register.
Installation
Operational use
3. Research
3.1 Design and methods
Methodologically this research is a single case study research. This approach is viable research
methodology in IS-research for several reasons. First, the researcher can study information systems
in a natural setting, learn about the real-life situation, and generate theories from practice (Benbasat
et al., 1987, Cavaye, 1996). Second, case methods allow the researcher to understand the nature
and complexity of the processes taking place (Benbasat et al., 1987).
This
research aims at describing the reasons of a project falling behind its’ schedule in the Turku
University of Applied Sciences. The research question is "What reasons can be identified for the delay
of an information system project?”
In a typical case study research multiple data collection methods are used (Benbasat et al., 1987).
This involves combining different techniques such as observation and document and text analysis
(Broadbent et al., 1998). Participant-observation was the main data collection method in this research.
It means that the researcher may have a variety of roles within the case study situation and really
participate in the events being studied (Yin, 1994). In this research, the roles of the researcher
included a) chair of the project steering group b) member of the executive board of the University, and
c) the member of the staff. The participant-observation has happened from the beginning of the
project to the end of March 2011. The different roles of the researcher provided different viewpoints to
the understanding and also guiding the project. As a chair of the project steering group the researcher
participated in making project related decisions. As a member of the executive board of the University
the researcher participated decisions relating the information systems in the University and thus also
this new information system. Finally, as a member of the staff the researcher used the information
systems similarly as other staff member and collected data about the project. These three roles
correspond quite well with the three levels where an information system success could be measured
(Fowler and Horan, 2007): organizational, b) process level and c) individual level. Besides the
participant-observation data was also gathered from existing documents which included system
documentation, project group memos, steering group memos and presentations of the new
information system.
3.2 The case organization
The Turku University of Applied Sciences
(TUAS) is one of the largest of its kind in Finland. The
University is administered by the City of Turku, which means that University has to use some of the
information systems provided by the City. Examples of these systems are the Financials and Salary
IS (see figure 2).
The TUAS has almost 9000 students and we educate Bachelors and Masters in about 50 different
Degree Programs.The TUAS is organized in six faculties that promote multidisciplinary learning
(Figure 4). Each faculty has several degree programs and students from 700 to 2500. The faculties
differ from each by the preparedness of ICT technology – others are reluctant with new technology
while others look new technology with too much expertise and might be extra critical. The broad
variety of Degree Programs create challenges for the teaching process – finding solutions suitable for
both small and big programs require a lot of planning and design.
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