INFORMATION SYSTEMS EVALUATION: OBSTACLES WITHIN, AMONG AND BETWEEN PARTICIPANTSChris Davis, Faculty of Computer Studies and Mathematics University of the West of England, Bristol. The paper explores the methodological and practical demands of achieving effective participation in information systems evaluation. Using materials from an on-going evaluation of a major UK Home Office project, the discussion reflects on experiences of embedding evaluation findings into decision making within the police organisations that host the new system. The work of Valusek and Fryback (1985) on infomation systems development is used to present information systems evaluation as a process with obstacles within individual participants, among participants and between groups of participants. The case study presented illustrates the complexity of the issues and concems that emerge during the evaluation of large scale information systems into complex organisations. The complementarity of an interpretive approach, which accommodates the social construction of values, to more conventional positivist approaches to evaluation is demonstrated. The interpretive evaluation process is discussed in some detail, demonstrating how issues and concems that might be missed by conventional techniques can be articulated and used to guide organisational decision making. Email contact address chris.davis@uwe.ac.uk This paper was presented at the 2000 Annual Conference of the UK Evaluation Society. (posted 10/10/2001)