Soft factors affecting the performance of software development teams

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance of software development teams.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on the thorough secondary research and literature review of the past empirical studies published in reputed journals. The methodology followed is the secondary research based on extensive literature review of empirical studies done and analysis of the findings of those studies and categorization of the factors affecting the software development team performance. Literature review and analysis were carried out between March 2010 and March 2011.FindingsIt was found that the soft factors such as team climate, team diversity, team innovation, team member competencies and characteristics, top management support and team leader behavior, have an effect on software development team performance. Mutual trust and communication effectiveness are found to be the prioritized factors affecting the software development team performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe conclusions made are based on the past empirical studies found in the literature. A primary research can be done by taking these soft factors into consideration and implications or observations can be found on the software development team's performance.Originality/valueThe original contribution of this paper is the classification of factors affecting the performance of software development teams. This contribution also highlights the soft factors such as team climate, which was not discussed much in the literature. It also highlights trust and communication, for example, as leading factors affecting the software development team performance.

Soft Skills for Software Project Team Members

“…Their failure rate is more than the failure rate of projects in other fields and also in the field of ICT such as infrastructure [3]. It is reported that 70% of SDPs result in failure [5].…”

“…Since they are human centric, it is vital for the members to have good soft skills. Another difference is the fact that the cost estimation for an SDP is conducted at the initial stages of the project [5]. The main challenge of that is the fact that some of the organisations overcharge and other charge too low and eventually discover that the work which needs to be done cost more than what they have charged.…”

Effects of silo mentality on corporate ITC’s business model

“…When employees fail to meet key performance areas that seems to suggest that the firms' key activities gets compromised as value configuration based on the inadequate competencies necessary to execute the company's business model. Purna Sudhakar et al, (2011) are of the view that performance of a section will be positively or negatively affected by characteristics of having a clear goal, competent team members, result-oriented structure, collaborative climate, recognition, management support, motivation, high level of commitment…”

The Use of Kanban to Alleviate Collaboration and Communication Challenges of Global Software Development

“…These benefits range from reduced cost to improved software quality, resulting in a competitive advantage that business organisations are constantly seeking (Niazi et al, 2013;Scharff, 2011). Mergers and acquisitions are also influencing the shift towards GSD, resulting in the production of innovative products, new markets, and access to a more diverse pool of software developers (Sudhakar, Farooq, & Patnaik, 2011). Recently, the outsourcing of software development experienced exceptional growth especially within European companies outsourcing to Indian IT companies (Søderberg, Krishna, & Bjørn, 2013).…”

“…These categories of challenges are very important subjects of study because human relations are crucial for the success of GSD projects. In fact, even more important than technical skills (Sudhakar et al, 2011).…”