Validation of Model

The proposed IT acquisition model builds on the predictive behavior of Tier-I influencers and suggests that Tier-II influencers need to collectively contribute to attain organizational synergy. The most critical aspect of collectiveness is heterogeneous organizational behavior across the hierarchy in the organization. It is believed that strategic, tactical, and operational layers in the organization have different tasks, motivations, roles, and responsibilities. However, collective orientation of this heterogeneity needs to be achieved for this model for IT acquisition for its holistic success. Therefore, the model considers it important to identify the controlling agency in the hierarchy so that controlled elements contribute effectively in the IT acquisition process. Identification of “controlling” and “controlled” elements for assessment of collective contributions of users, information systems, and information technologies in the IT acquisition process needs in-depth studies through an appropriate stratified and unequal sampling plan for the proposed model. This chapter discusses validation of Tier-II influencers with quantitative methods.

Conceptualization of IT Acquisition Life Cycle Management Model

Models are expected to present near real life situations and possible effects on the deliverables based on given input environment. However, models do not necessarily indicate the true solutions and provide scope to work on them incrementally. As discussed earlier, organizations may not follow similar paths to acquire IT and may not even derive desired results despite adopting one. This chapter considers it important to include IS as critical input to managing IT acquisition life cycles and delves further into the IT life cycle management principles to conceptualize a model to specific contributions to assess organizational preparedness for IT acquisitions. This model largely includes discussions on IS centric models and argues in favour of assessing the preparedness across three phases, pre-acquisition, acquisition, and post-acquisition. Each phase considers specific inputs with expected deliverables for successful assessment of the preparedness of the organization in that phase.

The Validation Process for Tier-III Variables and Fitness of the Model

The validation of the model is dependent on the strength of the relationships established through variables, and Tier-III influencers are designed to ensure the validation process at a macro level. Tier-III influencers of the model help us understand the relations between variables matching (fitting) the data (Tier-I and II) and the way they influence the appropriateness of the model. Tier-III influencers characterize theoretical testing of the model and are mostly based on theory-driven search for the important antecedents of one or more focal variables. Tier-III influencers help us understand the relationship among the variables governing the outcome of the proposed model. It is agreed that the process of testing or validating theoretical models with survey data is addressed by first determining the adequacy of the measures of the unobserved variables in the model and then determining the reasonableness or adequacy of the hypothesized model. Measurements of Tier-III use conceptual definitions of the unobserved or latent variables, along with observed variables or items that measure these unobserved or latent variables. This chapter discusses model-to-data fit and parameter estimates by utilizing structural equation analysis. Model adequacy is determined by using hypotheses and model-to-data fit and parameter estimates from structural models.

Validation of Model

Tier-I influencers form the baseline for the modeling process. These influencers aim to capture and measure collective orientation of organizational preparedness for IT acquisitions. This approach includes all the management principles (one of the two frontiers of the model, i.e., management science and computing science). Tier-I influencers include stakeholders in operational, tactical, and strategic layers in the organization as important influencers of the acquisition process, and the proposed model captures their contributions. The model considers it important to capture perceived benefits of IT acquisitions, climate in the organization for taking collective decisions in planning and policy driven issues, capabilities in managing IT projects and IT vendors, motivation of users in the organizational hierarchy, user contributions in reflecting organizational deliverables in IT enabled processes, and mapping expected contributors of successful IT acquisitions. In this chapter, quantitative methods are used for measuring and validating collective contributions of all the stakeholders.

Validation of Model

The validation process for the model largely depends on the behavior of influencers (variables), which are used for measurement of the inputs, processes, and the outputs. In order to indicate the utility of the framework supporting the model conceptualized, this chapter includes detailed discussions on the method adopted. It includes the sampling plan adopted to help the reader appreciate the management principles in categorizing stakeholders and their contributions to overall IT acquisition preparedness in the organization. A three-tier approach is considered important with the grounding theory that every organization displays general hierarchies across three layers, and roles of stakeholders are governed by the expected layer-specific strategies. It is argued that despite layer-specific contributions, overall preparedness in the organization needs convergence among these layers in terms of their roles, tasks, and other deliverables.

Understanding IT Acquisitions

IT acquisition processes are mostly organization specific and there is not enough evidence to establish that a successful acquisition process adopted in an organization would replicate the same scenario in another, but it is experienced that such predictability can be assured to a possible extent if organizations follow some best practices. Research in IT acquisition processes indicate varied results, and there are various models to address overarching issues related to IT acquisition processes showcasing IT preparedness in the organization. This chapter discusses various approaches pursued and models evolved in the area of IT acquisitions, processes to work on the preparedness of the organizations in managing IT infrastructure acquisitions, and their life cycles. This chapter includes discussions on models available for assessing the IT acquisition process, understanding organizational issues, capturing and analyzing user behaviour, and analyzing usability of the IT resources. Various models are also evaluated to understand their roles in capturing capability of the IT users in the organization, IT service providers, and component developers who participate in the acquisition process.

Model Representation through UML and SPEM

Establishing strategic fit dynamically between information systems and information technologies for having a well managed IT acquisition life cycle in the organization is quite challenging. Despite advancements in software engineering process modeling techniques and the existence of maturity in handling multi-disciplinary challenges in designing appropriate information systems, there is growing popularity in developing model-driven methods. This chapter discusses application of a model-driven method that aims to use software engineering process modeling. It also aims to showcase the appropriateness of the application of the model in software engineering. The chapter discusses the role of SDLC-driven approaches for IT services acquisitions and relates to the UML and SEPM principles while discussing the deliverables of the model.

Application of the Model

It is argued that models are conceptualized, designed, developed, and validated to understand complex behaviour of larger entities. Models provide indicative measurements, and their validations in real life situation need careful considerations of relevant ambient conditions. Models also provide suggestive and causal relationships among their qualitative and quantitative influencers for better predictability. Generally, predictive models provide structural equations, measurement equations with associated random errors. These errors do play vital roles in relating abstracted behavior of the model outputs with the real life situations. In order to reduce these errors to an agreed level, case-based validations of models are quite important. This chapter discusses derived measurement and structural equations that the model has produced and presents some cases to examine the appropriateness of the application of the model developed.

Understanding IT Acquisitions Preparedness

It is generally experienced that every organization develops its own approach for IT acquisitions with varying degrees of emphasis on organizational priorities, systems, and technologies. Organizations involved in the IT acquisitions process pursue various perspectives depending on their strategy and implementation plans leading to varying degrees in IT preparedness. IT preparedness measurements may involve various stakeholders including employees and vendors. It is important to note that stakeholder preparedness is likely to vary in its intensity, but will eventually contribute to the overall organizational IT acquisition preparedness. In this chapter, these perspectives are discussed with a focus on IT as a form of technology acquisition, organizational processes, and quality improvement.

Management and Control

Systems follow an organization through its phases, products, processes, and structures. Life cycles for systems, therefore, are manageable if other supporting lifecycles of the organization are predictable. In absence of predicting capabilities among the decision makers in the organization, ageing of the systems is obvious. This ageing process leads to decay in information generation and affects organizational intelligence gathering process. Lack of intelligence in the organization impedes the process of growth and sustenance. Intelligence gathering is a continuous process that is based on information generation through establishment of management controls systems in reactive, predictive, and proactive modes of evaluation. It is imperative that a dynamic and strategic fit is achieved, arranged between management and control systems and the strategy formulation and the task control. This dynamic and strategic fit is an indicator of organizational preparedness to manage its system and likely involves articulation of performance measurements by encompassing appropriate financial and non-financial dimensions. This chapter discusses performance management and control system, systemic and systematic behavior in order to establish improved systems thinking and preparedness in the organization.