Analysis and measurement of the impact of information technology investments on performance in Mexican companies: development of a model to manage the process, projects and information technology infrastructure and its impact on profitability

In Mexico, companies invest enormous resources in information technology (IT), with little evidence of the latter's effectiveness. Company directors struggle with gauging how effective or ineffective making these investments truly is, given the lack of instruments of measurement by which to establish, for instance, an internal rate of return or a period of recovery on investments. There is also no evidence by which to link IT investment to improvements in a company's performance or profitability. While several American and Australian universities have developed studies that address these issues, for the most part these are limited to their respective countries and in some cases to Canada and Europe. Thus, there is a lack of empiric evidence in the Mexican scenario. Being able to analyze and measure the impact of IT investments is an important first step into making these resources more efficient. Based on the following analyses, one will identify the variables that intervene in successful and/or unsuccessful management of processes and projects, as well as in the administration of IT infrastructure.