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Approximately two-thirds of software projects are late because project teams encounter challenges that threaten their success. In addition, many projects are developed using remote collaboration, due to pressure of time, distribution of expertise, and organisational constraints. In parallel, technology has developed that allows effective remote collaboration. The purpose of this research was to investigate what characterises high performance in software development in remote student teams. The data was drawn from the Runestone Project, which involved Swedish and American computer science students in international collaboration on a substantial software development project. Runestone gave students the opportunity to use different technologies for collaboration across time and distance, as well the chance to develop problem-solving experience with different cultures in a team-based environment. This research tracked the progress and changes in the entire electronic communication for 8 student teams identified as the 4 highest- and lowest- 4 performers in the 2000 presentation of Runestone. A set of categories was developed to characterise over 31,000 lines of communication, focusing on the amount and nature of communication for each team, and on decision-making patterns throughout the software development process. The research also looked at students' use of available communication technology. Results indicate that both communication and the process and timing of specific actions are crucial to a team's success. Teams communicated differently, with high performing groups communicating less. High performing teams were more organised in the way they conducted their meetings and work. The management of the software development process as a whole was crucial, as was leadership style. An effective use of the software development process can also mean that key decisions are made during the times in the software process where they will be most effective. This research has implications for remote collaboration in both education and industry.

This thesis addresses the problem of human and social issues that affect software development. It is situated within the field of Information Systems and focuses on the processes of software production used within complex organisational processes: particularly decision-making, collaboration and workflow. Human and social issues are problems and situations caused by the members of the target organisations, software developers, and the dynamics of their working and social interactions. The objective of this thesis is to identify these human and social issues and see how they affect software developers' work. The methodological approach adopted here, is designed from the interpretive point of view. This study takes the perspective of software developers as they possess practical knowledge of complex business settings and current software development practices. Online ethnography is the chosen method that allows this investigation access to virtual communities in which software developers work and exchange experiences. The design of this thesis is as follows: 1. Online data is collected which reflect software developers' beliefs about their work and their target organisations. 2. Data categories are created which show a picture of the current state of affairs in software development. 3. An interpretive theory building strategy is used to create a model of software development based on data categories. The final outcome of this thesis is developed as a complement to Orlikowski's (2000) structurational model of enactment of technologies-in-practice and takes the form of a descriptive, theory based model. This model contributes to the deeper understanding of software development issues. It presents human and social issues that affect the production of software within three different contexts: software development environment, software development practices and complex business organisations. The model generated in this thesis also suggests that software developers' perceptions of human and social issues in complex business organisations are influenced by the developers' background knowledge and experience.

There are currently no fully validated estimation approaches that can accurately predict the effort needed for developing a software system (Kitchenham, et al, 1995). Information gathered at the early stages of system development is not enough to provide precise effort estimates, even though similar software systems may have been developed in the past. Where similar systems have been developed, there are often inherent differences in the features of these systems and in the development process used. These differences are often sufficient to significantly reduce estimation accuracy. Historically, cost estimation focuses on project effort and duration. There are many estimation techniques, but none is consistently ‘best’ (Shepperd, 2003). Software project management has become a crucial field of research due to the increasing role of software in today’s world. Improving the functions of project management is a main concern in software development organisation. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a new model which incorporates cultural and leadership factors in the cost estimation model, and is based on Case-Based Reasoning. The thesis defines a new knowledge representation “ontology” to provide a common understanding of project parameters. The associated system uses a statistically simulated bootstrap method, which helps in tuning the analogy approach before application to real projects. This research also introduces a new application of Profile Theory, which takes a formal approach to the measurement of leadership capabilities. A pilot study was performed in order to understand the approaches used for cost estimation in the Gulf region. Based on this initial study, a questionnaire was further refined and tested. Consequently, further surveys were conducted in the United Arab Emirates. It was noticed that most of the software development projects failed in terms of cost estimate. This was due to the lack of a precise software estimation model. These studies also highlighted the importance of leadership and culture in software cost estimation. Effort was estimated using regression and analogy. The Bootstrap method was used to refine the estimate of effort based on analogy, with correction for bias. Due to the very different nature of the core and support systems, a separate model was developed for each of them. As a result of the study, a new model for identifying and analysing was developed. The model was then evaluated, and conclusions were drawn. These show the importance of the model and the factors of organisational culture and leadership in software project development and in cost estimation. Potential areas for future research were identified.

This dissertation discusses risk management in the context of software development. It commences by investigating why so many software development projects fail. It then focuses on approaches to software development that emerged as attempts to improve the success rate. A common shortcoming to these approaches is identified, namely that they only cater for the tasks that need to be done, ignoring possible unexpected problems. After having motivated the need for risk management, the framework for a risk management methodology is discussed, outlining the steps in the risk management process. Decision-making guidelines and best practices follow, as well as a discussion about the way they should be implemented as part of the risk management effort. Guidelines are provided for the implementation of risk management as part of software development. Finally, the risks that may cause the failure of the implementation of risk management are identified and guidelines provided to address them. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This dissertation discusses risk management in the context of software development. It commences by investigating why so many software development projects fail. It then focuses on approaches to software development that emerged as attempts to improve the success rate. A common shortcoming to these approaches is identified, namely that they only cater for the tasks that need to be done, ignoring possible unexpected problems. After having motivated the need for risk management, the framework for a risk management methodology is discussed, outlining the steps in the risk management process. Decision-making guidelines and best practices follow, as well as a discussion about the way they should be implemented as part of the risk management effort. Guidelines are provided for the implementation of risk management as part of software development. Finally, the risks that may cause the failure of the implementation of risk management are identified and guidelines provided to address them. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)