Organizational factors shaping software process improvement in small-medium sized software teams: a multi-case analysis.

摘要

Previous work looking at software processimprovement (SPI) in small organizations has highlighteddifficulties faced by small organizations in implementing SPIsuccessfully, but there is little analysis to understand why this isfrom an organization theory perspective.This paper presents an analysis of SPI across six software teamsin the UK using a framework based on Giddens’ StructurationTheory. Using a structurational perspective helps to draw outhow the process improvements are enabled and constrained bytheir context. By comparing these across the six situations the keysimilarities and differences across the cases are highlighted.This work extends the existing literature by helping to identifythe areas of risk that need managing in small SPI initiatives. Thestudy shows the issues as pertained to the six contexts and actionsin each case. The paper highlights how the context influences theoutcome.