ISM 4113

1
ISM 4113

• Runaway Projects
• Robert Glass (1998)

2
Some Statistics

• Delivered on Time
• Promised Functionality
• Within Budget
• 26
• Over Budget and Behind Schedule
• 46
• Source 1998 Standish Group Survey

3
Runaway Recovery Methods

• Extending the schedule85
• Better project management procedures 54
• More people 53
• More funds 43
• Pressure suppliers by withholding payment 38
• Reducing scope of project 28
• New outside help 27
• Better development methodologies 25
• Pressure suppliers by threatening litigation
  20
• Change the technology 13
• Abandon project 9
• Other 9

4
Future Problem Project Remedies

• Improve project management 86
• Feasibility study 84
• More user involvement 68
• More external advice 56
• None of the above 4

5
Software Development Case Study

• Linberg (1999)

6
ISM 4113

• Runaway Projects
• Robert Glass (1998)

7
System Development

• When is Software Failure not a Failure?
• When Developers say so.
• Some Horror stories
• 1/3 of projects are cancelled
• 52 of projects are 189 over budget
• 16 of projects classified as Success
• Meets budget, delivery and business objectives
• Are these failures???
• From whose perspective?

8
Success Factors

• Effective Leadership
• Conducive Organizational Climate
• Technologically Realistic Requirements
• Realistic Schedule
• Realistic Effort Estimates
• Sufficient Software personnel
• Sufficient Other Resources
• Diversity of Team
• Feasibility Analysis
• Project Management

9
Case Setting

• Medical Instrument
• Hardware
• Software
• Firmware
• Quality is Priority
• Project is Lower Priority
• Not main line of business
• Instruments given away
• Project Focused Organizational Structure

10
Development Team Composition

• 75 Male, 25 Female
• Most had Masters Degree
• Senior Level Developers
• Temperament Profile
• Idealists (25)
• Guardians (37.5)
• Rationalists (12.5)
• Artisans (25)

11
Estimates Gone Awry

• Schedule
• Obtain Executive Buy-In (19 months)
• Executives Approval (14 months huh?)
• Re-Plan1 (19 months, look familiar)
• Re-Plan2 (23 months)
• 193 beyond Approved Schedule
• Is this a failure?
• Cost
• Expected - 1,008,000
• Actual - 4,224,000
• 419 Over Budget
• It this a failure?

• Code Estimates
• Initially NONE made!
• Software 50,000 LOC
• 65,000 LOC (actual 130)
• Firmware 1,000 LOC
• 8,000 LOC (actual 800)
• Is this a failure?

12
NO! its a Success

• 5/8 The best project Ive worked on
• 3/8 The 2nd best project
• Why?
• Technically Challenging
• exciting to work on
• The Code was more solid than any I have ever
  written Joan
• Best managed project - Joan
• Never felt pressure from schedule - Joan
• Product Worked
• Small High-Performing Team

13
What was Unsuccessful?

• Poorly Managed Projects
• Poor Market Research
• not achievable from the beginning we needed
  to achieve dates no matter what Florence
• not very well defined managers daily
  challenged our progress Joseph
• product was most likely a failure, but the
  project was not a failure. We learned a lot that
  could be applied to the next project - Howard

14
How Did they get it done?

• Collaboration (to an extent)
• Personal Contacts
• Clandestine Meetings!
• Other mangers told their experts that they
  couldnt help us Florence
• There was a feeling that there was competition
  and not cooperation Kent
• Conflict Hindered Motivation
• Conflict management is a personal thing its how
  I manage conflict, not how a project handles
  conflict - Carl
• Motivation
• Highly Motivated team
• High Involvement
• Sense of Contribution to Product
• Celebrations (for small accomplishments)
• Positive feedback from Project Manager and
  Marketing
• It was really fun to demonstrate our product
  with customers and seeing everyone really loved
  it! - Norm
• Autonomy

15
How Did they get it done?

• Methodology
• It took three times as long to develop a
  feature. Ive come to respect the processes as
  part of the assurance for quality and regulatory
  concerns Joan
• Leadership
• Positive Attitude
• Fun Work Environment
• Timely and Reasonable Decisions
• Empowering the Team
• Buffering the Noise
• Motivating
• Removing Obstacles

16
Organization Perception of Product/Project

• As far as the product, I think top management
  thought it was really good. As far as the
  project it was way late and way over budget but
  it will provide revenue from additional sales
  Howard
• Project was not a success because it was over
  budget and beyond schedule. But it wasnt a
  failure. A project failure can only occur if
  there is customer discontent. If canceled the
  project may not be a failure because we learned
  a lot - Carl

17
Summary

• Gap between Software Developer definition of
  Failure/Success and Industry
• See Table 7

18
Lets Talk (or Why Cant we Communicate)

• Alvarez (2002)

19
Requirements Determination

• Process Fraught with
• Conflict
• Inconsistencies
• Competing Viewpoints
• Yikes!, Why is this?
• RD is a Discourse
• Between two different domains of meaning
• Analyst
• Client

20
The Dialectic

• any formal system of reasoning that arrives at
  the truth by the exchange of logical arguments
  (onelook.com)
• Broadly speaking, a dialectic is an exchange of
  propositions and counter-propositions resulting
  in a synthesis of the opposing assertions or at
  least a qualitative transformation of the
  direction of the dialogue. (wikipedia.com)
• Analyst
• Technical Frame
• Client
• Personal Frame

21
Research Site

• University
• New Administrative System
• Accounting, Human Resources, Student Services
• Alvarez watched interviews between Analyst and
  Client

22
Frames

• Technical
• Asymmetrical Relationship
• Analyst is in Charge
• Analyst controls turn-taking, topic of discussion
• Personal
• Storytelling
• Caring worker

23
Interview Findings

• Interview Encounter
• Analyst
• Technological
• Brevity
• Directness
• Client
• Personal Work Experience, Dilemmas
• More Intimate
• Personal
• Funny
• Friendly
• Dramatic