An exploratory analysis on challenges prevailing in small and medium IT firms

Abstract

There is lot of challenges being faced by IT Firms. Be it the pressure on companies to deliver reliable software’s with lesser lead times, pressure to perform at par with market competitors, constant push to deliver quality software; there are several such challenges being faced by these firms. In this research paper, we want to focus our attention to small IT Firms and to understand their challenges by conducting a survey with the help of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed through the past problems highlighted in literature and a validated through responses from industry practitioners. The opinions are recorded and the relationship between the variables are analysed to give a better understanding of the present challenges in small IT Firms. The work presented in this paper is the first phase towards the development of a framework targeted towards SME IT firms for whom increased lead time is a primary bottleneck. In order to solve a problem, it is essential to understand it in depth and to analyse if there is any gap between the perceived bottles presented in the literature, and the actual problems faced in the industry. Hence, in order to bridge that gap, we have made an effort to structure out the questionnaire based on our findings and have tried to determine if the same can be validated through the responses acquired from the industry in practice.

Towards the sustainability of small and medium software enterprises through the implementation of software process improvement: Empirical investigation

“…In General, there is no universal standard definition for SMEs that can be explained by the diversity of work accomplished or by the fact that the peculiarities of different regions have led to variations in the definition 16 . Many studies have defined SMEs based on three basic classification criteria: number of employees working full time, fiscal year balance, and sales turnover 17–19 . For example, the European Union countries defined SMEs 20 as “enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.” In the Malaysian context, an enterprise is considered as SMEs based on the annual sales turnover or number of full‐time employees 21 .…”