The post-implementation review (PIR) literature emphasizes the benefits of ex post evaluations of information technology (IT) projects. However, empirical studies of actual practice show that few organizations undertake any substantive form of ex post evaluation. This article presents the results of case study research in the Australian offices of two global corporations. These results support the findings reported in the literature and contribute new insights into the political factors that discourage the undertaking of PIRs in organizations. Furthermore, the results reveal a significant gap between theory and practice with respect to IT investment and IT governance practices, with no evidence found of such practices influencing ex post evaluation behaviour in these two organizations.This article reports on research conducted in the Australian offices of two global corporations with respect to the factors which influence post-implementation reviews (PIRs) of information technology (IT) projects in these organizations. In particular, it focuses on the factors affecting the evaluation decision . The findings confirm claims made in the PIR literature that few companies engage in ex post evaluation of IT projects, and provide new insights into the inhibitors of ex post evaluation practices. Using an interpretative research methodology, the study illuminates the political factors that inhibit PIRs in organizations and highlights the failure of IT governance practices to address these factors effectively. In addition to the problems that are well covered in the literature, such as those relating to time, measurement and cost, this study found that the socio-political consequences of evaluation were far more pertinent to the evaluation decision . By providing evidence of significant disincentives for managers to undertake ex post evaluation, regardless of the success of a project, this article concludes that evaluation occurs within a socio-political organizational context where power relations and vested individual interests influence the evaluation decisions made by individuals. The article also explores the influence of IT governance on ex post evaluation practices and the role of organizational structure in relation to the absence of ex post evaluation and, in particular, the prob-
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