Toward an Assessment of Software Development Risk

Despite the introduction and use of a wide variety of system development methods and tools, software projects are still plagued by time and cost overruns, and unmet user requirements. To avoid these problems, it is frequently recommended that the risk associated with a software project be managed. A task that is critical to the proper management of software development risk is the assessment of the risks facing the project. Based on previous research, this paper proposes a definition and a measure of software development risk. Subsequently, data collected in a survey of 120 projects is used to assess the reliability and validity of the instrument.

[1]  Edward I. Altman,et al.  FINANCIAL RATIOS, DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS AND THE PREDICTION OF CORPORATE BANKRUPTCY , 1968 .

[2]  A. Tversky,et al.  BELIEF IN THE LAW OF SMALL NUMBERS , 1971, Pediatrics.

[3]  A. V. D. Ven,et al.  A Task Contingent Model of Work-Unit Structure. , 1974 .

[4]  Robert Malcombe Alloway.  Temporary management systems: application of a contingency theory to the creation of computer based information systems. , 1976 .

[5]  Jay R. Galbraith.  Organization Design , 1977 .

[6]  John C. Anderson,et al.  Assessing Project Implementation Risk: A Methodological Approach , 1979 .

[7]  A. V. D. Ven,et al.  Measuring And Assessing Organizations , 1980 .

[8]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Management of Large Software Development Efforts , 1980, MIS Q..

[9]  S. Kaplan,et al.  On The Quantitative Definition of Risk , 1981 .

[10]  A. Tversky,et al.  Judgment under uncertainty: Belief in the law of small numbers , 1982 .

[11]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  Strategies for Information Requirements Determination , 1982, IBM Syst. J..

[12]  H. Barki.  A Contingency Model Of Dss Success: An Empirical Investigation , 1984 .

[13]  Gerald V. Post,et al.  A Stochastic Dominance Approach to Risk Analysis of Computer Systems , 1986, MIS Q..

[14]  Sergio B. Guarro.  Principles and procedures of the LRAM approach to information systems risk analysis and management , 1987, Comput. Secur..

[15]  T.E. Bell.  Managing Murphy's law: engineering a minimum-risk system , 1989, IEEE Spectrum.

[16]  Susan A. Sherer.  Measuring the risk of software failure , 1989, ICIS '89.

[17]  Jeffrey Rothfeder,et al.  It's late, costly, incompetent—but try firing a computer system , 1989 .

[18]  F. W. McFarlan,et al.  Portfolio approach to information systems , 1989 .

[19]  T. E. Bell,et al.  Managing risk in large complex systems , 1989 .

[20]  Robert N. Charette,et al.  Software Engineering Risk Analysis and Management , 1989 .

[21]  C. R. Franz,et al.  Group process and conflict in system development , 1989 .

[22]  Yacov Y. Haimes,et al.  Total Risk Management , 1991 .

[23]  D. Berkeley,et al.  Project risk action management , 1991 .

[24]  Houston H. Carr,et al.  Risk Analysis for Information Technology , 1991, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[25]  B Wahlström,et al.  Applications of probabilistic risk assessments: the selection of appropriate tools. , 1991, Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis.