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The quest in delivering quality IT services: The case of a higher education institution

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Abstract

IT leaders in higher education institutions (HEI) face a challenge to incorporate the continuous transformation of technology and the way it is applied in HEIs to improve the quality of IT service delivery. Managing IT per se, became more than managing IT systems with a fixed set of knowledge and skills. IT leaders needs to manage IT as a value stream not as separate entities. Various best practices, methodologies, standards and frameworks exist which all address some aspect of the IT value stream. A multi-dimensional framework was designed to address the entire IT value stream and to improve the quality of service delivery and thus satisfy stakeholders’ expectations. The framework incorporates various best practices, methodologies and standards. The framework was validated using in-depth interviews. Thirty interviewees from three entities within the HEI, participated in the research. The purpose of the interviews was to determine which elements of the framework contribute to quality IT services. Respondents completed a service quality matrix as part of the interview. The results were analysed to determine the respondents’ understanding and interpretation of the delivery of quality services. The results highlighted a discrepancy between the IT department’s perception of quality service and the recipients’ perception of said services. The results also highlighted that the framework can be used to align the various service quality perceptions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information and Communication Systems (ICS), University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Chelma Sliep

  2. College of Business Economics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Carl Marnewick

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  1. Chelma Sliep
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Correspondence to Carl Marnewick.

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Appendix 1: Unique Combinations within the Proposed Framework

Appendix 1: Unique Combinations within the Proposed Framework

Table 7 All possible unique combinations are listed. One component from each main level (DevOps, Lean IT and Visible Ops) of the proposed framework is represented in each combination. Systems thinking was selected first and combined with the five components from Lean IT and the three components from Visible Ops, resulting in 15 combinations. Then the process was repeated selecting feedback loops and culture of continuous learning and combining them with each component of the other two levels. Each of these resulted in a total of 15 combinations and a grant total of 45 combinations. This ensured that all possible unique combinations within the three levels of the proposed framework were covered. Lastly, the three main levels of the framework components were combined within themselves, which added another three combinations and resulted in a total of 48 combinations. The combinations for each of the stakeholder groups are the same and an acronym plus the unique combination are combined to refer to the combinations per stakeholder group, for example ICS1, OPS1 and ACA1
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Sliep, C., Marnewick, C. The quest in delivering quality IT services: The case of a higher education institution. Educ Inf Technol 25, 4817–4844 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10198-0

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