This book is a result of the Tenth International Conference on Information Systems Development (ISD2001) held at Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom, during September 5-7, 2001. ISD 2001 carries on the fine tradition established by the first Polish-Scandinavian Seminar on Current Trends in Information Systems Development Methodologies, held in Gdansk, Poland in 1988. Through the years, this seminar evolved into an International Conference on Information Systems Development. The Conference gives participants an opportunity to express ideas on the current state of the art in information systems development, and to discuss and exchange views on new methods, tools, applications as well as theory. In all, 55 papers were presented at ISD2001 organised into twelve tracks covering the following themes: Systems Analysis and Development, Modelling, Methodology, Database Systems, Collaborative Systems, Theory, Knowledge Management, Project Management, IS Education, Management issues, E-Commerce. and Technical Issues. We would like to thank all the contributing authors for making this book possible and for their participation in ISD200 1. We are grateful to our panel of paper reviewers for their help and support. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Ceri Bowyer and Steve Brown for their unfailing support with organising ISD2001.

This book is a result of the Tenth International Conference on Information Systems Development (ISD2001) held at Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom, during September 5-7, 2001. ISD 2001 carries on the fine tradition established by the first Polish-Scandinavian Seminar on Current Trends in Information Systems Development Methodologies, held in Gdansk, Poland in 1988. Through the years, this seminar evolved into an International Conference on Information Systems Development. The Conference gives participants an opportunity to express ideas on the current state of the art in information systems development, and to discuss and exchange views on new methods, tools, applications as well as theory. In all, 55 papers were presented at ISD2001 organised into twelve tracks covering the following themes: Systems Analysis and Development, Modelling, Methodology, Database Systems, Collaborative Systems, Theory, Knowledge Management, Project Management, IS Education, Management issues, E-Commerce. and Technical Issues. We would like to thank all the contributing authors for making this book possible and for their participation in ISD200 1. We are grateful to our panel of paper reviewers for their help and support. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Ceri Bowyer and Steve Brown for their unfailing support with organising ISD2001.

One of the most significant developments in computing over the last ten years has been the growth of interest in computer based support for people working together. Recognition that much work done in offices is essentially group work has led to the emergence of a distinct subfield of computer science under the title Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Since the term was first coined in 1984, there has been growing awareness of the relevance to the field of, and the valuable con tributions to be made by, non-computing disciplines such as sociology, management science, social psychology and anthro pology. This volume addresses design issues in CSCW, an- since this topic crucially involves human as well as technical considerations - brings together researchers from such a broad range of disciplines. Most of the chapters in this volume were originally presented as papers at the one-day seminar, "Design Issues in CSCW," held at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), London, on 17 March 1992, one in aseries of DTI-supported CSCW SIG seminars. We would like to express our gratitude to the series editors, Colston Sanger and Dan Diaper, for their useful comments on, and suggestions for revisions to, the final draft of the manuscript; to Linda Schofield, our editor at Springer, for her continued encouragement throughout the preparation of the manuscript; and, finally, to our respective families for their support and patience over so many months."