Identifying the Critical Factors in Software Development Methodology Fit

<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>

Identifying the Critical Factors in Software Development Methodology Fit

<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>

Discussion of Agile Software Development Methodology and its Relevance to Software Engineering

Agile Software Development Methodology is a lesser-known and infrequently utilized methodology in academia. In reality, though, content developer software practitioners frequently employ this technique. This journal was created to give readers an overview of agile techniques and their use at various stages of software development in general.

The search for unlimited productivity

The Communications website, http://cacm.acm.org, features more than a dozen bloggers in the BLOG@CACM community. In each issue of Communications , we'll publish selected posts or excerpts. twitter Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/blogCACM http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm Doug Meil considers the continuing search for the next great software development methodology.

TECHNOLOGY BASED OVERVIEW ON SOFTWARE TESTING TRENDS, TECHNIQUES, AND CHALLENGES

Software testing is a process of evaluating the developed software against the actual requirements from the customer. Software development methodology has transformed based on numerous driving factors over decades and so is the software testing methodologies. Software remains inevitable in rapid growth of technologies in various fields like academy, medicine, media, safety, agriculture, robotics, gaming, aviation, national defence etc., In this paper, the existing and emerging trends, techniques, and issues of software testing are discussed based on the technologies.

AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Agile Software Development plays a quintessential part in modern day software development. The term Agile refers to frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans and techniques and dividing tasks into shorter tasks for efficiency. Agile Software Development differs considerably from Traditional Software Development Methodology. Agile methodology aims to deliver features of a software project in small steps within a short duration of time (i.e., iterations). Hence, it becomes necessary to use agile software development methodology in todays’ fast-paced revolutionizing software industry. This paper discusses the important subtopics of Agile Software Development which gathered by reviewing/surveying of research papers. First, is the Agile Planning Life Cycle which consists of various stages such as pre-planning, planning, release planning and product backlog management. In the next section, principles such as Scrum, Extreme Programming, Kanban and Lean are discussed. The last section comprises the impact of Agile principles on software quality.