Towards a “business‐led” approach to information systems development

There is growing concern about the apparent widespread failure of information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) to deliver real organisational and business benefits. Several high profile computer system failures in the public domain have highlighted this problem. A lack of understanding about the impact of IS and IT on employees and organisations has compounded the problem. Historically, the majority of IS have been developed using a predominantly technical perspective. IS developers have attempted to minimise the complexity surrounding organisational change by concentrating primarily on a technical agenda. This paper attempts to show that the majority of current IS development methodologies focus on only a sub‐set of the organisational problems that can be created by information systems. It then continues by highlighting the need for development methodologies to take a more “business‐led” perspective when information systems are being introduced into organisations.