Information Quality: The Importance of Context and Trade-Offs

"Information quality" is arguably the most important information systems construct, and yet there exists no common definition of this construct, or set of recommendations for its appropriate usage and measurement. This paper explores the nature of information quality as a contextual, or fit-based, construct. Using this contingency approach we see that the definition of information quality is dependent on context, and instead of containing a clear maximum (or maxima) is rather comprised of tradeoffs. A call is made for restraint in uniform definition and measurement of information quality, acknowledging its appropriate use based on a specific construct-context fit.