Assessing the Usability of Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMS) in Uganda: Case Study of Mbale Local Government

Abstract

While numerous challenges are hindering the expected outcome of the Integrated Financial Management Systems (IFMS) in Uganda, one of the most notable challenges affecting IFMS is the usability challenge. Yet, little or no studies have so far examined the usability challenges of IFMS in Uganda. Hitherto, usability challenges can be a serious detriment to the successful implementation and continuous usage of IFMS. To assess the usability level of IFMS in Uganda, the Mbale Local government located in eastern Uganda was selected as a case study. The System Usability Scale SUS) was used to measure the usability of the IFMS used by the Mbale local government administration. Developed by John Brooke in 1986, the SUS is a simple, ten-item scale used to conduct usability assessments on a system. Open-ended questionnaires were also used as a follow-up tool. The average SUS score findings for the IFMS used in Mbale local government is 67.5 representing about 45 percent usability, which is poor. IFMS users recommended conducting IFMS training, regularly upgrading IFMS modules, providing appropriate user rights and access levels to local government staff, motivating IFMS users with incentives, providing adequate ICT support and assistance to local government staff, implementing robust network infrastructure and providing backup solutions, upgrading the existing infrastructure to be compatible with the IFMS, embracing user cantered design of the IFMS among others.