IT : Summary - Research Paper Example

?ISSUES FOR SOFTWARE BEING DELIVERED ON SCHEDULE Introduction 2 Present Scenario 2 Management 4 Design and Technical Activities 5 General Improvements 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Bibliography 10 Introduction The software engineering field has come a long way in the last 50 years or so. From one that was developed to supplement advanced computer hardware, it has emerged as the primary resource around which hardware is built today. The immense amount of attention which the software field has managed to attract is due to the exponential improvement in productivity that it has promised. However, the field has time and again faced critical challenges. The current phase is one such period with low levels of project success. This necessitates a combined effort from various units within a software company. Despite the need for integration, the below sections are divided for the purpose of analysis and examination (Mall, 3-4). Present Scenario Projects have become the new method through which most of the activities are accomplished in many sectors. The project model has transformed the way work is done by improving efficiency and increasing predictability. Despite this, there are thousands of projects that fail to meet their pre-determined objectives due to a number of reasons. Such a situation is quite common in the industry and the management has come to expect occasional failures (Cleland & Gareis, 1-4). However, in order to understand the situation completely, companies rely on studies that take into account a number of projects and measure parameters such as cost overruns, budget extensions, etc. They then compare such results to internal successes. In the field of software development, various studies through the 1990s and in the early years since 2000 have indicated a high percentage of software project cancellations. Cancellations are usually undertaken by companies when the software projects do not meet intended results within specified schedules or when the cost overruns are so significant that they can no longer afford to continue. On the other hand, there are some cases when companies decide to cancel projects due to extraneous factors such as the introduction of new technological tools in the market thereby rendering previous technology useless and environmental disasters, etc. However, detailed studies and the popular opinion of various stakeholders such as project managers, consultants, engineers, etc in the field indicates that the current situation needs a collective effort to reverse the trend of failure. Moreover, the studies have also indicated that there have been project failures across the industry including the financial sector, government sector, etc, which increases the impetus for analysis and action on the part of software companies (Emam & Koru, 85-86). While the above section has highlighted the failures of software projects to meet their intended objectives, it is important to understand their nature in further detail in order to formulate an action plan. The very nature of software means that there are inherent complexities. Software technology is built on computer hardware which is itself extremely complex and represents one of the highlights of human achievement. Moreover, the software that is built on the advanced hardware is not similar to modules in other sectors where repeatability plays an important role. Two similar software projects intended for similar companies of the same size require a number of modifications and alterations. In addition, the entire project is composed of thousands of such modules that contain sub-routines, procedures, etc that are unlike each other. Testing therefore forms a major part of software engineering. Various attempts by software companies to improve their outcomes have been met by another challenge. Although the present situation represents a need for improvement in the field, there have been circumstances far worse in the past such as the software crisis soon after the introduction of advanced computers during which the software could not meet the demands of the hardware and during the late 1980s during which there was a software crisis for want of international standards. However, earlier solutions were simple to apply and relied on innovations such as introduction of high-level languages, unified programming environments, etc. The market today has matured and demands a more comprehensive effort from a number of stakeholders (Brooks, 186-189). Having examined the current situation of the software engineering field and its nature, it is time to turn attention towards the possible solutions to help turn the situation around. The following measures help an organization improve both the productivity of individual projects and its overall productivity as well since they are based on strategic actions. Management Despite the technical advancements in the field, management is still an important issue. In fact, an analysis of project failures reveals that they might have been driven in the direction of success if better management practices had been given attention (Emam & Koru, 85-86). This is also the case for projects that have been classified as a failure due to technical reasons. Management is a single word for a set of activities that includes a number of stakeholders. The vision of the senior management dictates the direction that an organization takes. This also influences the kind of projects undertaken by the company. As it often happens, the senior management is involved only in the initial stages of a project, especially for big projects that are a source of pride for the company, and their interest wanes as the project matures. However, senior management involvement is critical to the success of all projects. While this does not imply that senior executives need to be present at every project meeting, it involves monitoring and support on their part which ensures that the projects are in the right path and also provides support and legitimacy to the decisions made by project managers. In addition, it also boosts the confidence and motivation of other employees. In fact, various studies have revealed that lack of senior management involvement is one of the leading causes for project failure (Ewusi-Mensah, 176-177). While the senior management assists in planning the direction of the company through analysis of its various projects, it is the responsibility of middle level managers to ensure that these plans come to fruition. Middle level managers need to possess a special set of skills that assists them in enhancing the effectiveness of the plans of the company. The true value of a design lay in its implementation. Therefore, the company has to make sure that the middle level management is provided with the required support to perform their duties. Since the mid-level managers act as a bridge between the higher management and employees, they can also perform additional activities. Outdated technology and deviation of project requirements are some of the critical reasons for project failure as well. Such situations can be averted by constant monitoring and sensitivity on the part of employees and middle level managers. Hence, the middle level managers can also provide critical feedback necessary for the success of the project. Therefore, management is still the single most important factor that defines the success of a project. Whether it is the role of the senior management who need to meet vision through action or the multidimensional role played by the middle level management; management plays a critical role. The employees on their part also have a role to effectively manage their own schedules so that it benefits the entire team. Design and Technical Activities As mentioned before the software field has matured in a small period of time. The software development lifecycle has emerged as one of the successes in the field. It is largely based on the general project lifecycle with modifications to suit the software field. A project is initiated with the requirements gathering phase followed by the high level design phase in case it is sanctioned. Subsequently, a detailed design is constructed followed by the development phase through the formation of codes. This is followed by various testing activities and finally by installation of the system at the client's site (Patil, 1.17-1.18). However, due to the rapid advances in technology, requirements are continually modified to suit the needs of the customer. It is therefore important to be sensitive to the changes required from the project. Modifications and errors in the later stages of a project are known to cost significantly higher than those in the earlier stages. In fact, the damage caused by software bugs in terms of money and effort are exponentially higher in the development and testing phases as compared to the design phases. In addition, organizations would immensely benefit from adopting various software standards. This is due to the fact that a significant part of the costs associated with projects lay in implementing them into the customer's overall IT infrastructure. By using accepted market standards, companies can save on modifications required during the installation phase. While it is common for larger corporations to use such standards, small-medium sized companies do not go in for such a system due to the associated cost. This becomes a significant factor since a large portion of software projects are carried out by such companies. In addition, since most software projects require support and maintenance operations, many of which are sub-contracted and outsourced, it would be beneficial to adopt the latest service standards as well. Therefore sufficient gains can be achieved through design and technical avenues. However, some of the measures are strategic and require significant funding. General Improvements In addition to rectifying certain specific concerns such as those described above, a software company stands to benefit by improving overall efficiency. Productivity can be improved by increasing the value added by each of the units within an organization. This is not only beneficial, it has become necessary in today's competitive environment. As mentioned earlier, with the advances in the field of software engineering hitting a peak quite a few years earlier, current attention is being turned towards increasing the overall productivity. Recent advances in ERP and CRM products rely on such a philosophy, however, the cost involved is enormous and therefore it is not possible for every company to implement them. However, the underlying rationale of such products can be implemented readily regardless of the size of a company. Organizations need to undertake better ROI (Return On Investment) activities, optimize use of planning tools and perform adequate project sizing. Technology evaluation needs to be performed constantly given advances in the IT field. The number of requirements placed on a software project combined with their high rate of failure implies that each and every company needs to include project specific risk assessment and risk assessment of the overall company. Risk management is a supplementary activity that includes outlining various plans of action (that is contingency plans) (Aurum et al., 800-810). Conclusion As can be seen from the above sections, the steps required to improve the outcome of software projects are as complex as the industry itself. Despite the highly technical nature of the field, much of the work that needs to be done lay in the management field whether it is the role of the senior management in ensuring alignment of projects with the values of the company or the duty of the middle level managers in uniformly pacing a project throughout its course. Technical and design issues are also essentially managerial in nature. With the support of the various stakeholders and lessons learnt from previous failures, it is possible to turn the situation around once again to restores the reliability of software products. References AURUM, A, WOHLIN, C & PORTER, A. ALIGNING SOFTWARE PROJECT DECISIONS: A CASE STUDY. International Journal of Software Engineering & Knowledge Engineering; 2006. Vol. 16 Issue 6, p795-818. Web. Brooks, Frederick P. Proceedings of the IFIP Tenth World Computing Conference, Elsevier Science B. V, Amsterdam. 1986, p1069-79. Cleland, David I. & Gareis, Roland. Global project management handbook: planning, organizing, and controlling international projects. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Print. Emam, Khaled, E & Koru, A. Gunes. A Replicated Survey of IT Software Project Failures. IEEE Software. September/October 2008, p84-92. Ewusi-Mensah, Kweku. Software development failures: anatomy of abandoned projects. USA: MIT Press, 2003. Print. Mall, Rajib. Fundamentals of Software Engineering. India: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. 2009. Print. Patil, Varsha. Management Information Systems. India: Nirali Prakashan. 2007. Print. Bibliography AURUM, A, WOHLIN, C & PORTER, A. ALIGNING SOFTWARE PROJECT DECISIONS: A CASE STUDY. International Journal of Software Engineering & Knowledge Engineering; 2006. Vol. 16 Issue 6, p795-818. Web. Brooks, Frederick P. Proceedings of the IFIP Tenth World Computing Conference, Elsevier Science B. V, Amsterdam. 1986, p1069-79. Cleland, David I. & Gareis, Roland. Global project management handbook: planning, organizing, and controlling international projects. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Print. Dinsmore, P, C & Cooke-Davies, T.J. 2005. The right projects done right!: from business strategy to successful project implementation. John Wiley and Sons. CA, USA. Emam, Khaled, E & Koru, A. Gunes. A Replicated Survey of IT Software Project Failures. IEEE Software. September/October 2008, p84-92. Ewusi-Mensah, Kweku. Software development failures: anatomy of abandoned projects. USA: MIT Press, 2003. Print. Ewusi-Mensah, K. Critical Issues in Abandoned Information Systems Development Projects. Communication of the ACM. 1997. Vol. 40, No.9, 74-80. Web. Mall, Rajib. Fundamentals of Software Engineering. India: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. 2009. Print. Patil, Varsha. Management Information Systems. India: Nirali Prakashan. 2007. Print. Read More