Laurie McLeod

Factors that affect software systems development project outcomes: A survey of research

Determining the factors that have an influence on software systems development and deployment project outcomes has been the focus of extensive and ongoing research for more than 30 years. We provide here a survey of the research literature that has addressed this topic in the period 1996–2006, with a particular focus on empirical analyses. On the basis of this survey we present a new classification framework that represents an abstracted and synthesized view of the types of factors that have been asserted as influencing project outcomes.

A Perspective-Based Understanding of Project Success

Answering the call for alternative approaches to researching project management, we explore the evaluation of project success from a subjectivist perspective. An in-depth, longitudinal case study of information systems development in a large manufacturing company was used to investigate how various project stakeholders subjectively perceived the project outcome and what evaluation criteria they drew on in doing so. A conceptual framework is developed for understanding and analyzing evaluations of project success, both formal and informal. The framework highlights how different stakeholder perspectives influence the perceived outcome(s) of a project, and how project evaluations may differ between stakeholders and across time.

Sociomateriality and boundary objects in information systems development

Information systems (IS) development is a complex organisational activity involving multiple stakeholders who interact with various artefacts in order to facilitate understanding and cooperation across diverse knowledge domains. A considerable body of work has analysed such artefacts as boundary objects, focusing on their interpretive flexibility across communities of practice. Increasing interest in the materiality of organisational practices directs attention to how such objects result from the performance of sociomaterial relations. This paper draws on these two strands of research to complement the analysis of project-related artefacts as boundary objects with a sociomaterial perspective on such objects and the practices within which they are constituted. The contribution of this combined approach is illustrated using the findings of a longitudinal case study of IS development. We trace the production and use of a prototype, the various people and practices with which it was associated, the multiple sociomaterial configurations that constituted it as a boundary object, and the social and material consequences of its use. The utilisation of sociomateriality as a theoretical lens enables us to further our understanding of how project-related artefacts act as boundary objects, and in doing so, constitute IS development as a sociomaterial practice.

Information systems development as situated socio-technical change: a process approach

We outline a process approach for conducting qualitative research on how contemporary information systems (IS) development is enacted in practice. The approach involves a longitudinal case study to obtain rich data from which a detailed process narrative is produced. The narrative is informed by a conceptual model of IS development as situated socio-technical change, generating a theoretical explanation that highlights the temporal, emergent and contingent nature of IS development. This approach extends prior process studies of IS development by focusing on micro-level project activities, examining change as a continuous process and theorising IS change as the outcome of a dynamic trajectory of situated and socio-technical interactions. The methodological approach developed here can be used by other researchers to inform process studies of this complex organisational phenomenon.

Internet Strategies for Established Retailers: Four New Zealand Case Studies

Abstract This paper reports the findings of research on the strategic responses of established retailers to the challenges and opportunities offered by the Internet and the development of electronic commerce (e-commerce). The paper presents a framework for categorizing Internet strategies based on a review of the literature on Internet retailing. It then illustrates the framework using four case studies of New Zealand retailing companies, identifying a range of factors that influence the adoption of Internet retailing.

Qualitative research on software development: a longitudinal case study methodology

This paper reports the use of a qualitative methodology for conducting longitudinal case study research on software development. We provide a detailed description and explanation of appropriate methods of qualitative data collection and analysis that can be utilized by other researchers in the software engineering field. Our aim is to illustrate the utility of longitudinal case study research, as a complement to existing methodologies for studying software development, so as to enable the community to develop a fuller and richer understanding of this complex, multi-dimensional phenomenon. We discuss the insights gained and lessons learned from applying a longitudinal qualitative approach to an empirical case study of a software development project in a large multi-national organization. We evaluate the methodology used to emphasize its strengths and to address the criticisms traditionally made of qualitative research.

Documents As Mediating Artifacts in Contemporary IS Development

In this paper, we analyze the roles of project-related documents as mediating artifacts in contemporary IS acquisition and development. We draw on a range of theoretical concepts to propose four ways in which documents are implicated in IS development through (1) the translation of meaning and interests, (2) in boundary-spanning knowledge transfer, (3) in the enactment of structures, and (4) through their materiality. We explore the occurrence of these roles through a case study of the external development of a sophisticated financial database solution using a purchased commercial software package. In conceptualizing documents in this way, we seek to address the need for further empirical work that focuses on understanding the variety of roles such objects can play, the nature of the objects as well as their role, and how such objects emerge as mediating artifacts in practice.

Raising healthy software systems

We elaborate on the analogy between humans and bespoke software systems and we use this analogy to inform an alternative perspective on the development and management of such systems.

Standard method use in contemporary IS development: an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to obtain an updated assessment of the use of standard methods in IS development practice in New Zealand, and to compare these practices to those reported elsewhere.Design/methodology/approach – A web‐based survey of IS development practices in New Zealand organisations with 200 or more full‐time employees was conducted. The results of the survey were compared to prior studies from other national contexts.Findings – The results suggest that levels of standard method use continue to be high in New Zealand organisations, although methods are often used in a pragmatic or ad hoc way. Further, the type of method used maps to a shift from bespoke development to system acquisition or outsourcing. Organisations that reported using standard methods perceived them to be beneficial to IS development in their recent IS projects, and generally disagreed with most of the published limitations of standard methods.Research limitations/implications – As the intent was to consider ...

Stakeholder perceptions of software project outcomes: an industry case study

Background: In spite of their limited scope, measures reflecting adherence to schedule, budget and specification continue to dominate the assessment and reporting of project outcomes. Objective: We set out to explore how the parties involved in the acquisition and deployment of a self-contained software system viewed the projects outcomes, and the measures they considered. Method: Large volumes of empirical data were collected as part of a longitudinal case study conducted in a large multi-national company and were analyzed using qualitative methods. Results: While the conventional criteria remain of interest, the evidence reported here indicates that a richer set of contributors influence perceptions of project success and failure. Conclusions: The evaluation of project outcomes needs to become far more sophisticated and, at the very least, other measures should be considered alongside traditional measures.