| Early software project management practices have placed emphasis on technological solutions such as Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools and contextual development methodologies (e.g. systems development life cycle, prototyping, and spiral development cycle). Unfortunately these technological solutions have not lived up to their promise of increased productivity.; Recent investigators have suggested that software development is a problem solving activity that is enacted in an organizational setting by people differentiated by their skills, tasks, and professions as well as their conceptions of how and what work needs to be done. Consequently, we must attempt to understand how human and organizational factors impact the nature and outcome of the software development process. Current literature on organizational behavior, organizational design, coordination, and task characteristics are used to propose a model of software development team performance based on the interactive effects of task interdependence, project goal conflict, and coordination strategy. The general hypotheses are that task interdependence/coordination strategy fit and project goal conflict/coordination strategy fit are better predictors of software development team performance than either of the three variables alone. A related hypothesis matches task interdependence, project goal conflict, and coordination strategy together to predict software development team performance. The study was implemented using a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design using two-person teams working in a laboratory setting on software projects that required detailed design, coding, and integration. Although not significant, the data showed that there were some goal conflict--coordination strategy and task interdependence--coordination strategy interactions that approached statistical significance. In addition, there were task interdependence, goal conflict, and coordination strategy main effects; these main effects were not hypothesized. |
