Improvisation In Information Systems Development Practice

Abstract

Recently, the concept and the role of improvisation in information systems development (ISD) have gained some interest. There are however not many studies that investigate how and when and with what effects improvisation occurs in ISD practice. We provide such a study. For this purpose we develop an analytical framework, which combines a feature-based view of the phenomenon in terms of its triggers, conditions, influencing factors and outcomes with a reflexive perspective, which emphasises the course of an improvisation in terms of the improvisers’ past experience, their motives, and their expectations of the future. The two perspectives complement each other and explain how improvisation contributes to the progress and completion of ISD projects. In particular, the framework allows an analysis of both the positive, but even more importantly, the negative outcomes and their consequences for improvisations and puts an emphasis on the hidden - because-of - motives for improvisation. Following the research approach of engaged scholarship we apply the framework to a case study of an ISD project in a large Danish software company. We use Actor Network Theory (ANT) to create a case narrative with detailed empirical evidence that shows that improvisation is an important driver in ISD practice. We analyse the project in terms of the improvisations which we identify and discuss 6 significant improvisations and their impact on the course of the project and its outcome. We also examine some implications of our findings for practice and research. In doing so we demonstrate the usefulness of our framework and increase the understanding of the role and effect of improvisation on ISD practice.