Performance Evaluation of Information Systems in Portuguese Municipalities

The success of organizations increasingly depends on the performance of their information systems, and public bodies are no exception. If the service provided to all of us, as citizens, depends on this performance, then it is essential that we can evaluate it. This research evaluates the performance of information systems in the Portuguese municipalities, applying the DeLone and McLean model, which is based on the perceptions of the systems' users. The research is based on a self-administered questionnaire to a representative sample of Portuguese municipalities employees. The six dimensions of the model were: system quality, information quality, service quality, utilization, user satisfaction and impacts. A seventh dimension - demographics - and its relationship with the original model were also analyzed. The results show that DeLone and McLean model is suitable for the Portuguese municipalities context, and it was concluded that the system quality and information quality dimensions have a major effect on user satisfaction and intention to use/use, respectively. It was also found that the user satisfaction dimension has a strong effect, and the intention to use/use dimension has a moderate effect on Impacts. These results provide relevant information for decision-making related to the evolution of information systems in Portuguese municipalities, showing the importance of investing in the systems quality and the quality of the information produced.