Unleashing the Potential Impact of Nonessential Self-contained Software Units and Flexible Precedence Relations upon the Value of Software

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of nonessential<br />minimum marketable features modules (NMMF) and<br />nonessential architectural elements (NAEs) on software<br />projects; shows that the value-creation path of these selfcontained<br />software units may be quite different from that<br />of essential software units; and discusses the impact of early<br />NMMF and NAE identification on the value of software<br />projects to business and the deployment of business strategy.<br />Moreover, the paper demonstrates that the existence of<br />flexible precedence relations among MMFs and AEs may<br />also be exploited to further increase the value of software<br />development initiatives

Maximizing the Appropriation of the Intangible Benefits Yielded by IT Investments in the Public Sector

“…It should be noted that none of the proposals presented so far take into consideration that IT-projects can frequently be broken down into smaller parts with high degree of separation of concerns [24]. By ignoring this particular aspect of IT-projects, they are unable to acknowledge the fact that the order in which these parts are implemented may quite substantially change the value of IT initiatives [15].…”

“…As no project is immune to the effect of change in its surrounding environment, using the financial gains of a project or subproject to run another not only reduces the need for capital investment, but also the risks that every project is naturally exposed to [15].…”

“…Hence, not necessarily all subprojects of an IT projects are implemented. Finally, the choice of the subprojects that are actually going to be implemented, and the order in which they are run, may substantially affect how the benefits are appropriated [15].…”