Design Reality Gaps In Open Source Information Systems Development: An Action Research Study Of Education And Healthcare Systems In Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This thesis, Design-Reality Gaps in Open Source Information Systems Development: An Action Research Study of Education and Healthcare Systems in Tanzania, presents a theoretical and empirical informed analysis of Free Open Source Software (FOSS) development in the domain of health and education information systems in Tanzania. Historically, FOSS development has been driven by user-developer communities who are also the users of FOSS applications. The use of Foss applications in information systems (IS) characterised by distinctive users and developer communities as separate groups has received limited attention in FOSS literature. The FOSS development approach, as well as the justifications for using FOSS in the infrastructure domain where users are developers, are inherently problematic when applied in the IS domain in developing countries. There is an urgent need to identify alternative conceptualisations of the FOSS phenomenon suitable to the goals and context of information systems in developing countries. The thesis focuses on the interplay between the sociotechnical conditions of IS in developing countries and the FOSS development approach. The thesis objectives are :) to develop an altemative explanation of the Free Open Source Software phenomenon in the context of information systems in developing countries and (ii) to analyse and address the challenges shaping FOSS development in order to enable Tanzania in particular and developing countries in general to benefit from adopting FOSS. The thesis is informed by power, translation, and network analysis perspectives of the Actor Network Theory, with additional concepts from networks of action and the design-reality gaps analysis. These concepts are used to build a framework for the design-reality gaps in the context of FOSS development in developing countries. The framework identifies three archetypal situation developer - sponsor, global developer - local developer, and local developer – local user gaps. The thesis draws its empirical material from two case studies of implementing open source information systems in the health and education sectors in Tanzania from 2005 to 2007. The research design is based on participatory action research in specific information systems: the District Health Information Software (DHIS) in the health information system and the Student Academic Register Information Software (SARIS) in the education information system. FOSS development in developing countries centres on the formation of sustainable collaborative networks through sharing of software and knowledge. These networks are important in helping a developing country to support the day to day customisation and managing of FOSS products. Implementing FOSS in IS requires substantial investment on localising the software, training users, and developing support networks. An alternative conceptualisation of FOSS development which emphasises co-located project organisations as a coping strategy to meet the challenges of social-technical influences is advisable. This is a different approach from working on virtual teams. Furthermore, the thesis identifies the role of political negotiations in supporting FOSS development in IS.