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The paper reviews selected literature on the theory and practice of constructive technology assessment (CTA), which represents a promising approach for managing technology through society. CTA emphasises the involvement and interaction of diverse participants to facilitate ‘upstream’ (or anticipatory) learning about possible impacts of technology and socially robust decision-making. The paper seeks to identify limitations of CTA, as these relate to the broadening of debate about nascent, controversial technology. In particular, it considers the relevance of CTA to the achievement of more democratic decision-making about technology. In addition, the paper directs attention towards differences in participants' discursive capacities and rhetorical skills that may affect the role and contribution of non-expert citizens in technology assessment. The paper draws upon the debate between Habermas and Foucault to suggest promising avenues for future research based on technology assessment conceptualised as discourse. It concludes that the theory and practice of CTA may be improved by addressing explicitly possible structural limitations on the broadening of debate, whilst invoking a notion of technology assessment as discourse to point up cultural, subjective or cognitive limitations on agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UK experience with implementation of high-profile IT projects has been rather unhappy, with projects tending to be severely delayed, to operate poorly and to be prone to escalating costs. There is therefore a need to understand better and to improve the management of such investments. This paper adopts a synthetic approach to analysing large-scale IT projects, drawing upon research on managing inflexible technology, project management and information technology implementation. The paper combines findings from these literatures to produce a detailed set of factors that are known to adversely affect ambitious software and other large-scale development projects. It employs a case study of software development at National Air Traffic Services' NERC project at Swanwick potentially to illustrate these. The paper finds that experience at Swanwick does indeed mirror many of the pitfalls predicted but also that the synthesis of approaches attempted enhances our understanding of the difficulties involved in managing large-scale IT projects perhaps rather better than univocal approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the cause of the occurrence of software failures. Statistics of information systems regarding software failures; Design of the Libra project in Great Britain to provide a standard information technology (IT) system for magistrates' courts; Evaluation of the success of an IT system through its return of investment.