Från fragmenterad kunskap till samlad överblick : Kartläggning och visualisering av kommunal IT-infrastruktur

Sammanfattning

This study examines how a municipal IT organisation can systematically identify, map and visualise dependencies and information flows between support systems in complex IT infrastructures. The background is the increasing digitalisation of the public sector, where many integrated systems create extensive dependencies and complex information flows. The study was conducted in collaboration with the IT and Development Department of Gävle Municipality and is grounded in Design Science Research (DSR). The result comprises two complementary artefacts: a structured work process in the form of a method for identifying and mapping system relationships and information flows, and an interactive visualisation tool that constitutes an instantiation of the method in a real municipal context. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and document studies. The results show that municipal IT infrastructures are characterised by high complexity and that a lack of overview of system dependencies can impede analysis and change management. The study also demonstrates that visualisation of systems and information flows contributes to increased understanding and better conditions for analysis.