Conclusion

In this course you have learnt about the nature of success in IT systems. In particular you have learnt about:

• what we mean when we say an IT system is a success or a failure
• that all IT systems are sociotechnical – a mixture of people, organisations and technology
• how you can judge whether an IT system is successful
• ways to analyse the stakeholders in the success of an IT system
• the importance of power and conflict in the success or failure of IT systems.

We hope you have found this course helpful, and that it’s given you insight into what we mean by IT systems success. There are many more free OpenLearn courses on aspects of systems thinking, which expand on topics in this course, including Systems thinking and practice [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] and an overview of the use of Systems diagramming to model all kind of systems.

If you would like to learn in more detail about tools for ensuring that IT systems are successful, the Open University course TM353 IT systems: planning for success may be for you.