User manuals as project management tools. I. Theoretical background

The failure of a delivered information system (IS) to match users' expectations of it is a frequent cause of project failure. This paper examines some of the causes of expectation failure, in particular the development of inappropriate mental models of a new IS by users. The documents traditionally used to express the requirements for a new IS are seldom fully understood by users, and often prove hard to verify. Documents written for, with, and sometimes by the users-the user manuals-have proved more successful in these respects.<
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