Abstract

Managers continually invest in new information technology (IT) but the question of organizational

value still seems vague. One explanation is poor evaluation. In practice the Business Case including

Return on Investment (ROI) still dominate. Information System research has noted for a long time that

the Economic Approach is not sufficient and instead the Interpretative IT Evaluation Approach has

been put forward. However, the approach has reached limited acceptance in practice and it has been

noted that what to evaluate is a far more complex process than might first appear. The aim of this

study is to articulate factors and criteria that are important to consider when assessing the

organizational value of IT investments. This study is part of a Collaborative Practice Research project

that took place 2005-2008 at three public organizations. The findings indicate that it is time to take a

step from a Business Case to a Value Case. The Value Case is a pluralistic, a formative and a

formalized approach that includes factors and criteria that have its base in prior research and have

been further discussed and analyzed by the respondents. The Value Case also put management’s

attention to effectiveness and efficiency, the task of management.

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