Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects

Only a few studies have analyzed the indirect effect that different levels of requirements uncertainty have on the effects of established flexible development techniques. Whereas much of what we know relates to the development of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), in this empirical study, we...

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Main Authors: Mellis, W., Loebbecke, C., Baskerville, Richard
Format: Journal Article
Published: IACIS 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.iacis.org/jcis/jcis_toc.php?volume=53&issue=3
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36449
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author Mellis, W.
Loebbecke, C.
Baskerville, Richard
author_facet Mellis, W.
Loebbecke, C.
Baskerville, Richard
author_sort Mellis, W.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Only a few studies have analyzed the indirect effect that different levels of requirements uncertainty have on the effects of established flexible development techniques. Whereas much of what we know relates to the development of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), in this empirical study, we investigate contract software development projects under¬taken for a specific contractor / customer. We analyze how requirements uncertainty moderates the effects of (1) sequen¬tial development, (2) investment in architectural design, and (3) intensity of early feedback on the performance of contract software development projects. We confirm that requirements uncertainty negatively moderates the effects of sequential development and of investment in architectural design. For flexible development approaches, the value of investment in architectural design falls with increasing uncertainty. Early feedback throughout the development process is helpful at any level of requirements uncertainty, potentially dependent on the business relationship between the customer and the software project team.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
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publishDate 2013
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-364492017-02-28T01:49:15Z Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects Mellis, W. Loebbecke, C. Baskerville, Richard Requirements Uncertainty Client-Specific Software Software Development Only a few studies have analyzed the indirect effect that different levels of requirements uncertainty have on the effects of established flexible development techniques. Whereas much of what we know relates to the development of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), in this empirical study, we investigate contract software development projects under¬taken for a specific contractor / customer. We analyze how requirements uncertainty moderates the effects of (1) sequen¬tial development, (2) investment in architectural design, and (3) intensity of early feedback on the performance of contract software development projects. We confirm that requirements uncertainty negatively moderates the effects of sequential development and of investment in architectural design. For flexible development approaches, the value of investment in architectural design falls with increasing uncertainty. Early feedback throughout the development process is helpful at any level of requirements uncertainty, potentially dependent on the business relationship between the customer and the software project team. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36449 http://www.iacis.org/jcis/jcis_toc.php?volume=53&issue=3 IACIS restricted
spellingShingle Requirements Uncertainty
Client-Specific Software
Software Development
Mellis, W.
Loebbecke, C.
Baskerville, Richard
Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title_full Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title_fullStr Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title_full_unstemmed Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title_short Requirements Uncertainty in Contract Software Development Projects
title_sort requirements uncertainty in contract software development projects
topic Requirements Uncertainty
Client-Specific Software
Software Development
url http://www.iacis.org/jcis/jcis_toc.php?volume=53&issue=3
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36449