Collaboration drivers and breakdowns in large scale software customization

Abstract

Software is not developed in a vacuum. Development teams and organizations must react to various incidents, such as changes in personnel, development practices, project objectives, and business environment, and all kinds of delays occurring during large-scale software development projects. These incidents challenge contemporary communication, collaboration and development practices. They also require an ability to adapt to the new situation. We argue that the problems in reacting to those incidents and the inability in implementing corrective actions are the main reasons for software project failures. We identify four drivers of collaboration. They are named as contract, individual person, group of collaborators, and development process, each being appropriate in different points of time. Yet their emphasis and appropriateness vary over time. This emphasizes the developers’ ability to transit between the drivers of collaboration.