Risk in Partnerships Involving Information Systems Development

Abstract

This is a case study of a US$ 30 million project to establish a new form of rapid healthcare service delivery within the context of a highly politicised National Health Service Hospital (NHS) Trust in the United Kingdom (UK). This project involved large-scale redesign of long-established healthcare procedures and the development of sophisticated new information systems (IS) through a unique partnership between the public sector (the UKs NHS) and a number of private sector companies (a software developer, a facilities manager, a hardware vendor and a builder). The case study concentrates on, what is often, one of the more important determinants of the success or failure of such partnerships involved in information systems development, i.e. risk.