Rigor y relevancia, perspectivas filosóficas y gestión de proyectos de Investigación-Acción en Sistemas de Información
Abstract (Summary)ABSTRACT: Title: Rigour and relevance, philosophical assumptions and management of Information-Systems Action-Research projects. Action Research (AR) is a research method the essence of which is the juxtaposition of action and research, or practice and theory, through the AR-characteristic cyclic composed by 4 phases: planning, action, observation, reflection. This research method has been broadly used in Information Systems (IS). Nevertheless, AR requires improves the rigor and quality in its research process in order to increase its relevance within IS research. Any researchers have proposed specials quality and rigor criteria and a project management approach to address this problem. The thesis exposes a solution by providing rigor and relevance to IS-AR through: - a project perspective (taken as reference the Blascos work about the systems in the project) and, - a project management approach (taken as reference the guide PMBOK). The result is a IS-AR project system composed by: - Structural component or project structure for IS-AR projects composed by two characteristic cycles of AR: a problem solving-oriented construction cycle and a research-oriented management cycle. - Content component or the fundamental and core knowledge -of the IS-AR projects- ordered in philosophical perspectives or the IS-AR REALM (Rethorical, Epistemological, Axiological, ontoLogical and Methodological assumptions). - Process component or the set of phases and processes that deploy the 2 cycles and the REALM through good practices (305 practices -253 specifics and 52 generics- used in 39 processes and executed in 5 phases of a project -initiation, planning, control, executing and closing-). - Implementation component or the maturity model to interiorize and to apply the practices in researchers and practitioners inside an organizational context through 5 maturity levels: novice (no practices), basic (with 136 practices), organised (with 137 practices), managed (with 32 practices) and adaptive (no practices). The data were triangulated along 8 years with: theoretical analysis of experts (one year), professionals and researchers working together in the ERP selection process in Catalonian companies (2 years) and, with teachers, researchers and pregrade students to enrich the studies plan of the same students (5 years). The thesis provides finally 5 manuals to execute gradually the practices through the 5 levels of maturity inside each on of the 5 phases.
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Advisor:Pastor i Collado, Joan
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:departament d humanitats
Date of Publication:11/19/2007