IT practices within maintenance from a systems perspective

Abstract

Purpose The aim with this paper is to describe current IT practices within maintenance in Swedish industry, and to outline the future possible developments. Design/methodology/approach The study is performed as a web‐based questionnaire survey consisting of 71 participants. A systems perspective is applied for capturing the most relevant aspects of IT utilisation. Findings The IT practices are characterised by high use of business‐specific IT solutions, low use of company‐wide IT solutions, low IT intensity and the client‐server architecture is dominating. The purchase decision and ownership of IT is to high extent tied to the maintenance function. Moreover, IT systems are apprehended as beneficial and connected to real needs. The findings imply a decentralised IT governance form and a mainly vertical (functional) IT support. Research limitations/implications The socio‐technical approach suggested in this paper helps us to identify which areas to study, and also shows the tight interrelationship between different factors, layers and systems. Practical implications The study results could be used for benchmarking purposes or to highlight state‐of‐the‐art of IT utilisation in maintenance, and thereby set the topic on the corporate agenda. Originality/value Studies describing IT utilisation within maintenance in the form of case studies and surveys exist, but they mainly focus on one aspect. This study approached the problem from a socio‐technical perspective, covering several aspects connected to IT utilisation.

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