Organizational learning curve in software installation: An empirical investigation

• Published in: Information & management Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 53 - 59
• Main Authors: Saraswat, Satya Prakash, Gorgone, John T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.1990; Elsevier Science; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Installations; Learning curve; Learning curves; Miscellaneous; Occupational psychology; Organizational learning; Organizational progress function; Productivity improvement; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Software installation; Software packages; Statistical analysis; Studies; System implementation; United States > US; Organizational progress function; Software installation; Learning curve; System implementation; Productivity improvement; Learning; Social environment; Human; Productivity; Occupational environment; Software; Implementation
• ISSN: 0378-7206; 1872-7530
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-7206(90)90014-9

Findings of an empirical investigation conducted to determine the presence of an organizational learning curve in the implementation of software packages for business applications are presented in this paper. Time spent by teams on the implementation of forty software packages on various mainframe, mini, and turnkey systems over a period of six years is analyzed. There is an organizational learning curve in the process of software implementation, and its magnitude varies from 6 to 36 percent. Higher rates of learning were observed for packages implemented on mainframes than those on mini-computers and turn-key systems. The paper suggests that these findings can be utilized for measuring and improving organizational productivity in the areas of software development and implementation and cost-benefit analysis of large systems projects.