Exposing the Influencing Factors on Software Project Delay with Actor-Network Theory

1. IntroductionRussell Ackoff (1979) describes the challenge facing project managers with the words 'Managers are not confronted with problems that are independent of each other, but with dynamic situations that consist of complex systems of changing problems that interact with each other' (page 99). Moreover, Donald Schon (1983) characterises the environment of practice with: 'complexity, uncertainty, instability, uniqueness, and value conflict' (page: 18). Today, the practice of software project management is no different. In this environment, delivering large software systems through global development teams increases these difficulties.A challenge confronting software project management research and practice alike is producing practical solutions based on empirical data, while being hampered by 'the split between industry practice and academic research' (Jacobson et al. 2012). The research and professional bodies of knowledge have widely contributed to our understanding of the various areas of software project management. However, there seems still more to be learned about the interplay that emerges during actual project execution and the way it influences schedule duration. This research follows (Ralph, 2013) in arguing that more than one method or theory is needed to address the interdependent areas of software project management and that any such study should be based on empirical data to have practical relevance. The purpose of this research is to identify the causes of schedule delay in software projects. It will also illustrate the benefits of integrating various methods and theories, in particular the value of ANT, in illuminating the influences on schedule delay.The research data used are past project progress reports created by and for project participants. They came from a global company (named ABC for anonymity) that develops software through globally distributed teams using a version of the Iterative and Incremental development method within a software factory model. ABC has an institutionalised software project management function, adopting industry standard frameworks, tools and techniques, blended with decades of practice. It is a typical major systems provider in the industry, hence, the interest in investigating its work practices to understand the causes of delivery delays.The research adopted the mixed method approach to enquiry employing explanatory sequential design. It integrated actor-network theory, grounded theory, and project metrics to make sense of the interdependent factors of software project execution. The findings demonstrate the value of combining different approaches, in particular ANT in explaining project delay. ANT influences the way research is done. It makes researchers look at the context of a research object more carefully. This is because it focuses on networks of influence rather than 'simple' input-output models. These networks are heterogeneous, i.e. the nodes can be of many different types (e.g. human and nonhuman) and the nature of links (intermediaries) can also be very varied.The questions relevant to the particular concern of this paper were:RQ1 - To what extent can actor-network theory provide a useful model of the interactions between the various actors involved in a software development environment? RQ2 - Is the application of actor-network theory compatible with a mixed methods research approach? RQ3 - Is the application of actor-network theory compatible with a grounded theory approach? 2. Actor-network theoryThis section outlines some ANT notions (in italics) and how they might be applied within the software engineering management field. This will be illustrated by examples drawn from, but not limited to, ABC's software project management practices. As we will see, ANT is appropriate for studying the 'shape and fate of technological projects' (Law & Callon 1992, page: 46) and (Hughes, 2014, page: 186). …