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Chapter 9: Software Development—A Strategic Paradigm
As the preceding chapters have emphasized, the process of software development is fraught with risks and uncertainties that often result in cost overruns and schedule delays and even in outright project failure and abandonment. What is surprising is not the cost overruns and schedule delays, which are almost routine even with successfully completed development projects. Instead what is most disturbing is the frequency of the software project failures and their inevitable toll on organizational resources—in particular, on the technical personnel associated with the development effort, who often are demoted or even let go to atone for the failure of the development/project. But the main focus of this chapter is not on the process of software development—that is left to the individual organization and its project leadership. Besides, a voluminous literature on software development methods already exists. Instead the chapter tackles the question of what drives good software development practices to maximize the chances of successful outcomes. I do not use the concept of maximization in the classic optimization sense, in which a set of criteria for development practices exist that will permit us to compare all other alternatives and come up with one alternative that must be preferred because it will guarantee a successful outcome. Instead I expect in a pragmatic way to provide a set of guidelines that describe "minimally satisfactory" development practices that will enhance the chance of a successful project outcome.In this chapter we will discuss the major dimensions of software development practice, the success of which is necessary for the success of the entire project. We will specifically examine the role users play in assessing the requirements for systems development. We will also explore the three interacting elements of a project—that is, the features or functionalities of the system, the resources needed to complete the development, and the quality of the project outcome. The discussion will highlight the need for active user participation and involvement in the development process—from requirements gathering to systems implementation—to provide needed input and feedback to the development team. The chapter stresses the need for flexible design architecture—especially for highly innovative projects—to enhance the development team's ability to control for changes in requirements and systems functionalities arising from user feedback. We consider the role audits can play in monitoring progress on the project, the use of consultants on the project, and how organizational politics can influence project development efforts. Finally, we emphasize the need for a broad-based development team representing stakeholder groups with differing perspectives, perceptions, orientations, and experiences on the project. This broad composition maximizes chances for a successful project outcome and system acceptance after implementation.
Maximizing Successful Project Outcomes
What does the maximization of successful project outcomes entail? It means managing the project to control for desirable outcomes by avoiding, or at least minimizing, the risky behaviors that are the potential death knell of projects. Successful project outcomes can be achieved by paying attention to the factors that are known contributors to the risks of project failures. Thus, for example, when project objectives are clearly articulated and understood, are arrived at by a consensus of all stakeholders involved, are realistic, and are not overly ambitious relative to the organizational capabilities for achieving the project goals, an aspect of the maximization of successful project outcomes is achieved and in the process a potential failure risk factor is minimized, if not eliminated. A successful project outcome involves a triangulation of the interaction between the resources (that is, people and budget), the schedule for completing the project, and the desired features or functionalities and quality of the completed product (McCarthy 1995). Successful project outcomes will always entail maintaining the right equilibrium among the three interacting elements of the project during the development.
