Att förstå mer än det som sägs : En studie om hur IT-konsulter navigerar gapet mellan kunders uttalade och faktiska behov

Sammanfattning

This study addresses a recurring challenge in IT-consulting, the gap between clients articulated and their actual needs. Failure to identify this gap can result in misaligned IT-solutions, a waste of resources and that the project doesn’t reach the desired value. This study aims to explore how IT- consultants navigate this gap and what factors affect their ability to identify clients’ underlying needs. Thus, the research question asked in this thesis is: How do IT-consultants navigate the gap between clients articulated needs and their actual needs? A qualitative research design was approached and grounded in a hermeneutic case study. The data was collected through nine semi-structured interviews with IT-consultants in a Swedish consulting firm. The empirical material was analyzed using a theoretical lens on institutional logics. The findings show that IT-consultants do not rely solely on formal structural methods for user needs analysis, but also engage in unstructured methods shaped by communication, dialogue, and client relationships. Organizational constraints such as time- and budget limitations together with institutional logics, influence how needs are interpreted and addressed. This study concludes that effective user needs analysis requires a combination of methodical approaches, situational awareness, as well as continuous and transparent dialog throughout the entire process. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of institutional logics, and user needs analysis practice within IT-consulting.