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  • Ralph Kelly ICSE 2014 Dimensions of Software Engineering Success

    Rights statement: © ACM, 2014.This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering, http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2568225.2568261

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The dimensions of software engineering success

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The dimensions of software engineering success. / Ralph , Paul; Kelly, Paul.
ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering . New York: ACM, 2014. p. 24-35.

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNConference contribution/Paperpeer-review

Harvard

Ralph , P & Kelly, P 2014, The dimensions of software engineering success. in ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering . ACM, New York, pp. 24-35, 36th International Conference on Software Engineering, Hyderabad, India, 31/05/14. https://doi.org/10.1145/2568225.2568261

APA

Ralph , P., & Kelly, P. (2014). The dimensions of software engineering success. In ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering (pp. 24-35). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2568225.2568261

Vancouver

Ralph P, Kelly P. The dimensions of software engineering success. In ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering . New York: ACM. 2014. p. 24-35 doi: 10.1145/2568225.2568261

Author

Ralph , Paul ; Kelly, Paul. / The dimensions of software engineering success. ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering . New York : ACM, 2014. pp. 24-35

Bibtex

@inproceedings{621888987e7243938842dbc600194a46,
title = "The dimensions of software engineering success",
abstract = "Background: Software engineering research and practice are hampered by the lack of a well-understood, top-level dependent variable. Recent initiatives on General Theory of Software Engineering suggest a multifaceted variable – Software Engineering Success; however, its exact dimensions are unknown. Aim: This paper seeks to investigate the dimensions (not causes) of software engineering success. Method: An interdisciplinary sample of 191 design professionals (68 in the software industry) were interviewed concerning their perceptions of success. Non- software designers (e.g. architects) were included to increase the breadth of ideas and facilitate comparative analysis. Transcripts were subjected to a supervised, semi-automated semantic content analysis, including a software developer vs. other professionals semantic comparison. Results: Participants view their work as time-constrained projects with explicit clients and many other stakeholders. Success depends on stakeholder impacts – financial, social, physical and emotional – and is understood through feedback. Concern with meeting explicit requirements is peculiar to software engineering and design is not equated with aesthetics in many other fields. Conclusion: Software engineering success is a complex multifaceted variable, which cannot sufficiently be explained by traditional dimensions including user satisfaction, profitability or meeting requirements, budgets and schedules. A proto-theory of success is proposed, which models success as the net impact on a particular stakeholder at a particular time. Stakeholder impacts are driven by project efficiency, artifact quality and market performance. In this view, success is not additive, i.e., {\textquoteleft}low{\textquoteright} success for clients does not average with {\textquoteleft}high{\textquoteright} success for developers to make {\textquoteleft}moderate{\textquoteright} success overall; rather, a project may be simultaneously successful and unsuccessful from different perspectives.",
keywords = "success, General Theory of Software Engineering, Interview, Semantic Analysis, Interdisciplinary, Design",
author = "Paul Ralph and Paul Kelly",
note = "{\textcopyright} ACM, 2014.This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering, http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2568225.2568261 ; 36th International Conference on Software Engineering ; Conference date: 31-05-2014 Through 07-06-2014",
year = "2014",
month = may,
day = "31",
doi = "10.1145/2568225.2568261",
language = "English",
isbn = "9781450327565 ",
pages = "24--35",
booktitle = "ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering",
publisher = "ACM",

}

RIS

TY - GEN

T1 - The dimensions of software engineering success

AU - Ralph , Paul

AU - Kelly, Paul

N1 - © ACM, 2014.This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering, http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2568225.2568261

PY - 2014/5/31

Y1 - 2014/5/31

N2 - Background: Software engineering research and practice are hampered by the lack of a well-understood, top-level dependent variable. Recent initiatives on General Theory of Software Engineering suggest a multifaceted variable – Software Engineering Success; however, its exact dimensions are unknown. Aim: This paper seeks to investigate the dimensions (not causes) of software engineering success. Method: An interdisciplinary sample of 191 design professionals (68 in the software industry) were interviewed concerning their perceptions of success. Non- software designers (e.g. architects) were included to increase the breadth of ideas and facilitate comparative analysis. Transcripts were subjected to a supervised, semi-automated semantic content analysis, including a software developer vs. other professionals semantic comparison. Results: Participants view their work as time-constrained projects with explicit clients and many other stakeholders. Success depends on stakeholder impacts – financial, social, physical and emotional – and is understood through feedback. Concern with meeting explicit requirements is peculiar to software engineering and design is not equated with aesthetics in many other fields. Conclusion: Software engineering success is a complex multifaceted variable, which cannot sufficiently be explained by traditional dimensions including user satisfaction, profitability or meeting requirements, budgets and schedules. A proto-theory of success is proposed, which models success as the net impact on a particular stakeholder at a particular time. Stakeholder impacts are driven by project efficiency, artifact quality and market performance. In this view, success is not additive, i.e., ‘low’ success for clients does not average with ‘high’ success for developers to make ‘moderate’ success overall; rather, a project may be simultaneously successful and unsuccessful from different perspectives.

AB - Background: Software engineering research and practice are hampered by the lack of a well-understood, top-level dependent variable. Recent initiatives on General Theory of Software Engineering suggest a multifaceted variable – Software Engineering Success; however, its exact dimensions are unknown. Aim: This paper seeks to investigate the dimensions (not causes) of software engineering success. Method: An interdisciplinary sample of 191 design professionals (68 in the software industry) were interviewed concerning their perceptions of success. Non- software designers (e.g. architects) were included to increase the breadth of ideas and facilitate comparative analysis. Transcripts were subjected to a supervised, semi-automated semantic content analysis, including a software developer vs. other professionals semantic comparison. Results: Participants view their work as time-constrained projects with explicit clients and many other stakeholders. Success depends on stakeholder impacts – financial, social, physical and emotional – and is understood through feedback. Concern with meeting explicit requirements is peculiar to software engineering and design is not equated with aesthetics in many other fields. Conclusion: Software engineering success is a complex multifaceted variable, which cannot sufficiently be explained by traditional dimensions including user satisfaction, profitability or meeting requirements, budgets and schedules. A proto-theory of success is proposed, which models success as the net impact on a particular stakeholder at a particular time. Stakeholder impacts are driven by project efficiency, artifact quality and market performance. In this view, success is not additive, i.e., ‘low’ success for clients does not average with ‘high’ success for developers to make ‘moderate’ success overall; rather, a project may be simultaneously successful and unsuccessful from different perspectives.

KW - success

KW - General Theory of Software Engineering

KW - Interview

KW - Semantic Analysis

KW - Interdisciplinary

KW - Design

U2 - 10.1145/2568225.2568261

DO - 10.1145/2568225.2568261

M3 - Conference contribution/Paper

SN - 9781450327565

SP - 24

EP - 35

BT - ICSE 2014 Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Software Engineering

PB - ACM

CY - New York

T2 - 36th International Conference on Software Engineering

Y2 - 31 May 2014 through 7 June 2014

ER -