Application of data envelopment analysis to IT project evaluation, with special emphasis on the choice of inputs and outputs in the context of the organization in question

Data Envelopment Analysis is applied to a sample of IT projects. The application is based on a discussion concerning the choice of inputs and outputs in the case when the units being evaluated are projects. This discussion takes into account various understandings of project success and thus project desired outputs, as well as the ambiguity and a strong situation dependence concerning the choice of project inputs, understood as variables that should be minimized. The sample consists of over 80 IT projects implemented in Poland. The applied DEA model has permitted to identify the projects that clearly stand out from the rest of the sample as less efficient. Their analysis made it possible to draw conclusions on the choice of inputs and outputs. A set of indications on the context-specific choice of inputs and outputs were formulated.