Capable - A Framework for Assessing Software Architecture Development Capability for Public Health Information Systems Projects

Context: In the public health domain, the prevalence of unsuccessful Information Systems projects is notable. Technical issues persist beyond the pervasive problems of inflated budgets and extended deadlines. These include poor usability, system instability, suboptimal performance, and data inconsistencies. These undesirable outcomes are linked to the Software Engineering process and the Software Architecture underpinning the system. To mitigate these issues, a project’s capability to achieve Software Architecture quality must be assessed. The socio-technical nature of Information Systems projects in the Public Health Domain necessitates a holistic approach. Aim: To address the need to assess Software Architecture development capability within the context of the Public Health Information Systems. Method: The framework was synthesised and evaluated using Design Science Research. The synthesis incorporated Australian and American Public Health Information Systems failure exemplars and drew upon the existing Software Engineering literature. The framework’s theoretical constructs were evaluated using an unstructured data source (government audit reports of Public Health Information Systems failures). Results: The conceptual aspects of the framework were evaluated. The framework was capable of detecting failure scenarios. Furthermore, the framework provided an indicative capability score and capability grade while providing possible actions for improving the project’s Software Architecture development capability.