From Sustainable Information System with a Farandole of Models to Services - Intentional Perspectives on Information Systems Engineering - page 1

From Sustainable Information System
with a Farandole of Models to Services

Michel Léonard and Jolita Ralyté

Abstract This chapter is an overview of the development of the information
systems domain since its infancy. This domain is recognized as very important for
the development of private companies and public organisations and therefore it more
and more needs solid concepts and sharp ways of thinking. This chapter relates
some breakthroughs and tries to place the IS domain in the centre of several worlds.
From a simple mediator between the activities world and the informatics world, IS
becomes a creator of values, in particular with the emergence of services. But, it
requires a shift with several dimensions in the usual way of thinking about activities
and informatics and this is the origin of the difficulty. IS complexity comes from
its trans-disciplinary nature, which requires several different models to describe it.
Besides, all these models must be articulated together to constitute a coherent IS -
that is a farandole of models. When a model changes, due to its environment, the
other models have to change too in order to keep the farandole coherent. The IS is
then sustainable.

1 Introduction

While the domain of Information Systems (IS) is now recognized as very important
for the development of enterprises and public institutions, the development of IS
still struggles with the lack of dedicated skills and clear understanding of the IS role
in organisations and Society.
Understanding challenges and opportunities in the domain of Information
Systems (IS) means first of all understanding how this domain evolved from its
beginnings to nowadays. This chapter aims to overview the growth of the IS domain