Why is a post-implementation evaluation important? Who should conduct it, and why?

What will be an ideal response?

A post-implementation evaluation assesses the overall quality of the information system. The evaluation verifies that the new system meets specified requirements, complies with user objectives, and produces the anticipated benefits. In addition, by providing feedback to the development team, the evaluation also helps improve IT development practices for future projects.
A post-implementation evaluation should examine all aspects of the development effort and the end product — the developed information system. A typical evaluation includes feedback for the following areas:
• Accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of information system output
• User satisfaction
• System reliability and maintainability
• Adequacy of system controls and security measures
• Hardware efficiency and platform performance
• Effectiveness of database implementation
• Performance of the IT team
• Completeness and quality of documentation
• Quality and effectiveness of training
• Accuracy of cost-benefit estimates and development schedules
Ideally, the evaluation should be conducted by people who were not directly involved in developing the system should perform a post-implementation evaluation. Usually, IT staff and users perform the evaluation. Sometimes firms prefer to use either an internal audit group or even an independent auditor to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the evaluation.