science

Information systems success model

Information systems success model is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Information systems success model rather than just read about it. In short: The information systems success model (alternatively IS success model or Delone and McLean IS success model) is an information systems (IS) theory which seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of IS success by identifying, describing, and explaining the relationships among six of the most critical dimensions of success along which information systems are commonly evaluated. Initial development of the theory w…

Key takeaways

Information systems success model belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Information systems success model to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Information systems success model from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The information systems success model (alternatively IS success model or Delone and McLean IS success model) is an information systems (IS) theory which seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of IS success by identifying, describing, and explaining the relationships among six of the most critical dimensions of success along which information systems are commonly evaluated. Initial development of the theory was undertaken by William H. DeLone and Ephraim R. McLean in 1992, and was further refined by the original authors a decade later in response to feedback received from other scholars working in the area. The IS success model has been cited in thousands of scientific papers, and is considered to be one of the most influential theories in contemporary information systems research.

Dimensions of IS success The IS success model identifies and describes the relationships among six critical dimensions of IS success: information quality, system quality, service quality, system use/usage intentions, user satisfaction, and net system benefits.

Information quality Information quality refers to the quality of the information that the system is able to store, deliver, or produce, and is one of the most common dimensions along which information systems are evaluated. Information quality impacts both a user’s satisfaction with the system and the user’s intentions to use the system, which, in turn, impact the extent to which the system is able to yield benefits for the user and organization.

System quality As with information quality, the overall quality of a system is also one of the most common dimensions along which information systems are evaluated. System quality indirectly impacts the extent to which the system is able to deliver benefits by means of mediational relationships through the usage intentions and user satisfaction constructs.

Service quality Along with information quality and system quality, information systems are also commonly evaluated according to the quality of service that they are able to deliver. Service quality directly impacts usage intentions and user satisfaction with the system, which, in turn, impact the net benefits produced by the system.

System use/usage intentions Intentions to use an information system and actual system use are well-established constructs in the information systems literature. In the IS success model system use and usage intentions are influenced by information, system, and service quality. System use is posited to influence a user’s satisfaction with the information system, which, in turn, is posited to influence usage intentions. In conjunction with user satisfaction, system use directly affects the net benefits that the system is able to provide.

User satisfaction User, and by information, system, and service quality. Like actual system use, user satisfaction directly influences the net benefits provided by an information system. Satisfaction refers to the extent to which a user is pleased or contented with the information system, and is posited to be directly affected by system use.

Net system benefits The net benefit that an information system is able to deliver is an important facet of the overall value of the system to its users or to the underlying organization. In the IS success model, net system benefits are affected by system use and by user satisfaction with the system. In their own right, system benefits are posited to influence both user satisfaction and a user’s intentions to use the system.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Information systems success model

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Information systems success model claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Information systems success model before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Information systems success model ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Information systems success model

In research: Information systems success model appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Information systems success model in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Information systems success model is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Information systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Information systems success model outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Information systems success model in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Information systems success model means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Information systems success model out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Information systems success model in simple terms?

Why does Information systems success model matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Information systems success model?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Information systems success model.