Managing the Technology Risk in Software Development

1
ManagingtheTechnology RiskinSoftware
Development

• A practical approach to utilizing new technology
  in computer software systems
• A research project by L. Charles Andersen, Sr.

2
The Motivation

• Computer technology, including both software and
  hardware, is changing rapidly
• Businesses must move to new technologies when
  older technologies become obsolete
• Employing new technology in any project
  interjects certain inherent risks
• Managing these risks helps lead to success

3
More Motivation

• We, as Software Engineers, can produce high
  quality software, if we employ sound practices.
• This may include simply learning traps to avoid.

4
The Theory

• Failed software projects share common traits
• Eliminating the failure traits leads to success

5
The Approach

• Study existing literature
• Employ observation
• Conduct informal interviews
• Conduct formal survey
• Correlate the data and draw conclusions

6
Expected Results

• I expect to find that there exists an individual
  trait common to failed projects that indicates a
  specific point of failure.

7
Parameters

• I expect to show that many software projects
  labeled as successes are truly failures within
  the context of my definition of success and
  failure.
• I expect to identify one trait that is common to
  a majority of projects and show that projects
  exhibiting that trait qualify as failures.
• I expect to demonstrate that this trait leads to
  the failure.

8
Scope

• I will limit my study to projects utilizing new
  technology by my definition.

9
Definition New Technology

• any language, platform, methodology or paradigm
  that is new to any one or more of
• the industry,
• the company,
• the project team.

10
Definition Success

• any project exhibiting none of the traits listed
  in failure.

11
Definition Failure

• any project that displays one or more of these
  traits
• Buggy or high maintenance,
• late,
• Incomplete,
• un-maintainable or un-extensible,
• undocumented,
• required overtime to meet deadline,
• over budget (man hours wise),
• does not meet customer expectations.

12
Qualification of Failure

• A project that is incomplete is also
  un-maintainable, un-extensible, and late. It
  also failed to meet customer expectations.

13
Supporting the Theory

• If failed projects exhibit a common trait
• And successful projects do not exhibit that trait
• And failed projects with that trait have a common
  point of failure
• And failed projects without that trait do not
  have that point of failure
• Then that trait is uniquely common to that point
  of failure

14
Additional Support

• Additionally, if managing a project to eliminate
  that trait results in a successful project
• Then that trait is found to be a cause of failure