Software Development Contracts: The Impact of the Provider's Risk of Financial Loss on Project Success

Author(s):  
Magne Joergensen
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julien Lemétayer

<p>In software development, one size does not fit all. Contingencies shape the alignment between the project and its environment, and between software development and project success. Yet the conditions favouring a particular software development methodology (e.g., waterfall or scrum) are not well understood. The current research aims to answer two questions: (1) What are the important factors in software development methodology (SDM) fit? (2) What is the role of SDM fit in project success? A review of the IT literature revealed two kinds of SDMs. On the one hand, there are traditional, plan-driven methodologies that seek compliance to a pre-established plan and existing processes. On the other hand, there are agile methodologies that seek to embrace the increasing changes and uncertainty involved in software development projects. The literature review established that there is no agreement on the contingencies associated with the use of each methodology, nor agreement on how to measure project success. Exploratory research was undertaken to identify contingencies in software development. Preliminary interviews of projects workers, using a card sort procedure, helped to identify key constructs and to generate and refine a set of measurement items. Then an international survey of software development project workers was conducted. Data analysis revealed two factors that are important in SDM fit: one is organizational culture; and the other is empowerment of the project team. The first factor encapsulates variables related to the project environment such as the level of entrepreneurship and methodology supported by top management. The second factor is related to the characteristics of the project and includes variables such as procedural empowerment and project uncertainty. No support was found for factors such as project size, criticality and the need for personnel supervision that are generally considered important contingencies. The current study also demonstrates that SDM fit is one of the predictors of project success, and affirms prior claims that one methodology does not fit all projects. The current research contributes to the SDM fit literature a contingency model that includes the impact of factors associated with the project and the project environment, on SDM fit and project success. The contingencies identified and evaluated by this research may assist practitioners to select the most appropriate methodology, and to achieve higher project success rates.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julien Lemétayer

<p>In software development, one size does not fit all. Contingencies shape the alignment between the project and its environment, and between software development and project success. Yet the conditions favouring a particular software development methodology (e.g., waterfall or scrum) are not well understood. The current research aims to answer two questions: (1) What are the important factors in software development methodology (SDM) fit? (2) What is the role of SDM fit in project success? A review of the IT literature revealed two kinds of SDMs. On the one hand, there are traditional, plan-driven methodologies that seek compliance to a pre-established plan and existing processes. On the other hand, there are agile methodologies that seek to embrace the increasing changes and uncertainty involved in software development projects. The literature review established that there is no agreement on the contingencies associated with the use of each methodology, nor agreement on how to measure project success. Exploratory research was undertaken to identify contingencies in software development. Preliminary interviews of projects workers, using a card sort procedure, helped to identify key constructs and to generate and refine a set of measurement items. Then an international survey of software development project workers was conducted. Data analysis revealed two factors that are important in SDM fit: one is organizational culture; and the other is empowerment of the project team. The first factor encapsulates variables related to the project environment such as the level of entrepreneurship and methodology supported by top management. The second factor is related to the characteristics of the project and includes variables such as procedural empowerment and project uncertainty. No support was found for factors such as project size, criticality and the need for personnel supervision that are generally considered important contingencies. The current study also demonstrates that SDM fit is one of the predictors of project success, and affirms prior claims that one methodology does not fit all projects. The current research contributes to the SDM fit literature a contingency model that includes the impact of factors associated with the project and the project environment, on SDM fit and project success. The contingencies identified and evaluated by this research may assist practitioners to select the most appropriate methodology, and to achieve higher project success rates.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-61
Author(s):  
Ahmad Salman ◽  
Mastura Jaafar ◽  
Summaira Malik ◽  
Diana Mohammad ◽  
Sohail Ayaz Muhammad

Throughout the years, project management has evolved tremendously. As technological innovations occur, project management framework also evolved. As the project management framework evolved, project success became more and more difficult. This article examines the impact of communication and employee motivation on the success of the project and evaluates the impact on the software development business. Even though there is a considerable amount of research being conducted on project success, the communication and employee motivation attribute still lack research, especially in the field of software development. The data gathered through this research were empirically tested using SPSS, and a significant relationship was observed between the dependent and the independent variables. It was found out that communication and employee motivation indeed play a role in the success of the project. It is crucial to train employees in an agile framework and keep on motivating them so that they can deal with the continuous changes. The results of this research indicated that organizations should implement a proper communication channel between the customers and the development team. Furthermore, the more the employees are motivated, the more chances the project will have on success, making the business profitable.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aqeel Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Sehail Younis

This preliminary study attempts to link among the critical success factors on overall project success in public sector organizations in Pakistan.  In this study it’s reflected that major critical success factors (soundness of Business & workforce, planning & control, quality performance and past performance) can enhance the success of the project in Pakistan.  The purpose of this preliminary study was to verify the reliability of the survey instrument which has been used in European countries. It was found that the planning & control was the highest Cronbach Alpha value, while the ranged for each constructs in the present study from 0.68 to 0.88.  Therefore, based on the Cronbach alpha value score, the proposed survey instrument has fulfilled the basic requirement of a valid instrument.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4513
Author(s):  
Summaira Malik ◽  
Muhammad Taqi ◽  
José Moleiro Martins ◽  
Mário Nuno Mata ◽  
João Manuel Pereira ◽  
...  

The success of a construction project is a widely discussed topic, even today, and there exists a difference of opinion. The impact of communication and conflict on project success is an important, but least addressed, issue in literature, especially in the case of underdeveloped countries. Miscommunication and conflict not only hinder the success of a project but also may lead to conflicts. The focus of this paper was to examine the impact of communication on project success with the mediating role of conflict. By using SPSS, demographics, descriptive statistics and correlation were determined. Smart PLS version 3.0 was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal accuracy and validity estimates, hypothesis checking and mediation testing. The results showed that formal communication has a negative impact on the success of a construction project, resulting in conflicts among project team members, whereas informal communication and communication willingness have a positive impact on project success because people tend to know each other, and trust is developed. Task, process and relationship conflicts were used as mediating variables. It was found that task conflict effects the relations positively because project team members suggest different ways to do a certain task, and, hence, project success is achieved. On the contrary, process conflict and relationship conflict have a negative impact on communication and project success. Both of these conflicts lead to miscommunication, and project success is compromised. Hence, it is the responsibility of the project manager to enhance communication among project team members and to reduce the detrimental effects of process and relationship conflict on project success.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3480
Author(s):  
Walter Takashi Nakamura ◽  
Iftekhar Ahmed ◽  
David Redmiles ◽  
Edson Oliveira ◽  
David Fernandes ◽  
...  

The success of a software application is related to users’ willingness to keep using it. In this sense, evaluating User eXperience (UX) became an important part of the software development process. Researchers have been carrying out studies by employing various methods to evaluate the UX of software products. Some studies reported varied and even contradictory results when applying different UX evaluation methods, making it difficult for practitioners to identify which results to rely upon. However, these works did not evaluate the developers’ perspectives and their impacts on the decision process. Moreover, such studies focused on one-shot evaluations, which cannot assess whether the methods provide the same big picture of the experience (i.e., deteriorating, improving, or stable). This paper presents a longitudinal study in which 68 students evaluated the UX of an online judge system by employing AttrakDiff, UEQ, and Sentence Completion methods at three moments along a semester. This study reveals contrasting results between the methods, which affected developers’ decisions and interpretations. With this work, we intend to draw the HCI community’s attention to the contrast between different UX evaluation methods and the impact of their outcomes in the software development process.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932098382
Author(s):  
Jildau Borwell ◽  
Jurjen Jansen ◽  
Wouter Stol

While criminality is digitizing, a theory-based understanding of the impact of cybercrime on victims is lacking. Therefore, this study addresses the psychological and financial impact of cybercrime on victims, applying the shattered assumptions theory (SAT) to predict that impact. A secondary analysis was performed on a representative data set of Dutch citizens ( N = 33,702), exploring the psychological and financial impact for different groups of cybercrime victims. The results showed a higher negative impact on emotional well-being for victims of person-centered cybercrime, victims for whom the offender was an acquaintance, and victims whose financial loss was not compensated and a lower negative impact on emotional well-being for victims with a higher income. The study led to novel scientific insights and showed the applicability of the SAT for developing hypotheses about cybercrime victimization impact. In this study, most hypotheses had to be rejected, leading to the conclusion that more work has to be done to test the applicability of the SAT in the field of cybercrime. Furthermore, policy implications were identified considering the prioritization of and approach to specific cybercrimes, treatment of victims, and financial loss compensation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 364-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Joslin ◽  
Ralf Müller

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively validate the constructs of a theoretically derived research model while gaining insights to steer the direction of a greater study on methodologies, their elements, and their impact on project success. In doing so, to investigate whether different project environments, notably project governance, impacts the relationship between methodologies and project success. Design/methodology/approach – A deductive approach was applied to validate a theoretically derived research model. In total, 19 interviews across 11 industrial sectors and four countries were used to collect data. Pattern-matching techniques were utilized in the analysis to deductively validate the research model. Findings – There is a positive relationship between project methodology elements and the characteristics of project success; however, environmental factors, notably project governance, influence the use and effectiveness of a project methodology and its elements with a resulting impact on the characteristics of project success. Research limitations/implications – Project governance plays a major role in the moderating effect of a project methodology’s effectiveness. Contingency theory is applicable to a project’s methodology’s selection and its customization according to the project environment. Practical implications – Understand the impact of project methodologies and their elements on the characteristics of project success while being moderated by the project environment, for example, the risk of suboptimal project performance due to the effectiveness of methodology elements being negatively impacted by the project environment. Originality/value – The impact of a project methodology (collection of heterogeneous-related elements) on the characteristics of project success is identified while being moderated by the project environment, notably project governance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aqsa Ameer ◽  
Farah Naz ◽  
Bushra Gul Taj ◽  
Iqra Ameer

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of conscientiousness and extraversion personality traits on project success. The relationship is mediated by affective professional commitment, whilst the relationship between personality traits and project success is moderated by organizational project management maturity. Design/methodology/approach The deductive approach is used to achieve the objectives of this study. Data were collected through a purposive sampling technique from 250 respondents with the help of questionnaires from information technology sectors. The structural equation modelling (SEM) in partial least squares-SEM and SPSS is used to analyse the data and to examine the hypothesis. Findings The outcomes demonstrate the partial mediating impact of affective professional commitment between the relationship of conscientiousness and extraversion personalities with project success. Additionally, it proves the moderating effects of project management maturity between the relationship of conscientiousness and extraversion personalities with project success. Practical implications This study reflects that employee personality appears to be a reliable indicator of how an employee is faithful to his profession. This faithfulness or duty decides the employee’s execution in terms of offering a successful project. Thus, achieving employee commitment needs to be done by completing the project successfully by the organizations in the presence of project management maturity systems. Originality/value It is the first study of its kind to provide experimental proof of the impact of a manager’s personality traits on project success in the presence of affective professional commitment (mediator) and organizational project management maturity (moderator).


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