The role of requirements in the success or failure of software projects

Requirements engineering (RE) is pivotal and central to every successful software development project.There are several reasons why software projects fail; however, poorly elicited, documented, validated and managed requirements contribute grossly to software projects failure.Software project failures are normally very costly and risky and these could even a times be life threatening also. Projects that overlook RE processes often suffer or are most likely to suffer from failures, challenges and other consequent risks.The cost of project failures and overruns when estimated is quite great and grave.In addition, software project failures or overruns portend a challenge in today’s competitive market environment. It affects negatively the image, goodwill, profitability, and revenue drive of companies and decreases the marketability of their products, as well as, the perceived satisfaction of their customers and clients (which also leads to poor loyalty). In this paper, RE was discussed. Its role in software projects success was elaborated.The place of software requirements process in relation to software project failure was explored and examined.Furthermore, project success, challenge and failure factors were also discussed with emphasis placed on requirements factors as they play a major role in software projects’ successes, challenges and failures.The paper relied on secondary statistics to explore and examine factors responsible for the successes, challenges and failures of software projects in large, medium and small scaled software companies

Requirements: towards an understanding on why software projects fail

Requirement engineering is at the foundation of every successful software project.There are many reasons for software project failures; however, poorly engineered requirements process contributes immensely to the reason why software projects fail.Software project failure is usually costly and risky and could also be life threatening. Projects that undermine requirements engineering suffer or are likely to suffer from failures, challenges and other attending risks. The cost of project failures and overruns when estimated is very huge.Furthermore, software project failures or overruns pose a challenge in today’s competitive market environment. It affects the company’s image, goodwill, and revenue drive and decreases the perceived satisfaction of customers and clients. In this paper, requirements engineering was discussed. Its role in software projects success was elaborated. The place of software requirements process in relation to software project failure was explored and examined.Also, project success and failure factors were also discussed with emphasis placed on requirements factors as they play a major role in software projects’ challenges, successes and failures.The paper relied on secondary data and empirical statistics to explore and examine factors responsible for the successes, challenges and failures of software projects in large, medium and small scaled software companies

IT governance in SMEs: trust or control?

It is believed by many scholars that a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) cannot be seen through the lens of a large firm. Theories which explain IT governance in large organizations and methodologies used by practitioners can therefore not be extrapolated to SMEs, which have a completely different economic, cultural and managerial environment. SMEs suffer from resource poverty, have less IS experience and need more external support. SMEs largely contribute to the failure of many IS projects. We define an out-sourced information system failure (OISF) as a failure of IT governance in an SME environment and propose a structure for stating propositions derived from both agency theory and theory of trust. The theoretical question addressed in this paper is: how and why do OISFs occur in SMEs? We have chosen a qualitative and positivistic IS case study research strategy based on multiple cases. Eight cases of IS projects were selected. We found that trust is more important than control issues like output-based contracts and structured controls for eliminating opportunistic behaviour in SMEs. We conclude that the world of SMEs is significantly different from that of large companies. This necessitates extra care to be taken on the part of researchers and practitioners when designing artefacts for SMEs

The impact of public R&D subsidies and tax incentives on business R&D expenditures

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P5-0093).Purpose: Private R&D investment in the business sector is often subject to market failures, such as positive externalities, information asymmetries, uncertainty and risk, making it often less than socially desirable. This is the primary reason that governments promote private R&D investment. Accordingly, the main aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of public R&D policy on business R&D expenditures. Design/methodology/approach: Applying panel data regression analysis on a sample of 3,113 company-year observations, covering Slovenian companies for the period 2012-2016. Findings: The empirical results show that public support for R&D investment plays an important role in firms’ R&D expenditures. As to R&D subsidies, the empirical results reveal they are generally ineffective since they displace firms’ R&D expenditures. Yet they do become effective when used in combination with R&D tax incentives and received by companies that are growing. On the contrary, the empirical results also show that R&D tax incentives are always effective when companies have a sufficient tax base. Practical Implications: The overall findings suggest that R&D tax incentives are more effective than R&D subsidies in Slovenia. However, R&D subsidies are still attractive especially for smaller companies without a sufficient tax base. It is hence important to consider both public policy instruments as two parallel ways of supporting firms’ R&D expenditures. Originality/value: Utilising a comprehensive dataset covering Slovenian companies made by merging multiple data sources, namely R&D survey, tax, balance-sheet and incomestatement data, representing the main originality and value of the paper.peer-reviewe

Transitional Adaptation model for facilitating technology and expertise mobilisation in Gulf AEC Organisations

The fragmented nature of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is well recognised, the main issues of which relate to failures in communication, process, productivity and interoperability. These failures have contributed to an increased proliferation of adversarial relationships between the different parties involved in projects, the result of which have deleteriously affected projects. Challenges include a range of issues, from the veracity of design information throughout the project lifecycle, through to supply chain communication. These are global issues. For example, in the Gulf States, the nature and complexity of AEC projects has changed significantly due to increased globalisation and the emergence of enmeshed transnational practices. This has created an overwhelming reliance on the mobilisation and transfer of technology/expertise of professional expatriates, which has influenced the approach taken to traditional design and construction business models, including staff roles and procedures. New knowledge and ways of working are needed to support future projects in the Gulf States. There is also a requirement to capture and codify domain-specific expertise. This paper discusses the need to enhance Qatar’s AEC industry by fostering a smooth transition from its current position, into a more sustainable [replicable] state. The philosophical underpinnings of this paper take into account disparate socio-cultural, environmental and economic impacts of change, in terms of business models, technology, innovation, labour market needs, local laws/bylaws, and legislation. A theoretical growth model is presented for discussion. This builds on the experience of the UK (in particular) in terms of facilitating the mobility and penetration of technology/expertise/change in the AEC sectors. This paper presents a series of recommendations needed to develop a Pervasive Transnational Adaptation model for Qatar and the Gulf States, covering such issues as: ICT adoption, agile project management, technology-transfer, innovation, offsite construction, Public Private Partnerships, capacity building, and international strategic alliances

Measuring Employee Perceptions of Organizational Tolerance for Failure

The empirical concept of Organizational Tolerance for Organizational Failure was examined. First, a clear definition of the concept was established and, second, the concept\u27s dimensionality was explored. Based on data collected from 140 participants, four main scale components were identified: Organizational Values and Beliefs, Organizational and Supervisor Support and Motivation, Compensation and Reward Systems, and Recognition. Even though the final scale developed represented a good research base, further development is needed to improve some of the subscale\u27s internal consistencies

State aid to enterprises in Croatia in 2001

State aid to enterprises is a form of government intervention. Under the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU Croatia has accepted certain obligations concerning the allocation and control of state aid. The objective of this research project was to assess the size and structure of state aid in Croatia and to compare it with the aid provided by Member States (and candidate countries). In 2001, State aid in Croatia represented 5.25 % of GDP, and was five times the size of aid in the EU. At the same time, Croatia provided a much stronger support to certain economic sectors than the EU, particularly agriculture, transport, tourism and shipbuilding. On the other hand, the aid for research and development, small and medium-size enterprises or environmental protection, which are in the EU the main recipients of the so-called ‘horizontal aid’, the aid used by all enterprises and sectors and not only selected ones, was much smaller. It should therefore be expected that Croatia would have to reduce the volume of its state aid in the course of its adjustment to the EU, and gradually redirect the aid from selected sectors to all enterprises, through horizontal forms of aid. At the same time, it should improve its system of allocation and control of state aid

Productive Development Policies in Costa Rica: Market Failures, Government Failures, and Policy Outcomes

This paper analyzes five Productive Development Policies (PDPs) implemented in Costa Rica, finding that they are not optimally addressing market failures. Moreover, government failures rather than market failures represent the main justification for PDPs. Even in the presence of market failures, the policy instruments applied are not necessarily the most economically efficient but rather the most politically feasible options. In addition, the lack of policy evaluation and monitoring prevents adjustments and corrections of such policies. Addressing the arguments for policy intervention and incorporating the results of evaluation into policy design and reform are necessary conditions for success. In spite of positive policy outcomes, limitations to enhance competitiveness and create the conditions for productivity growth are still present. An umbrella approach in the case of those PDPs that reinforce each other is necessary for productivity growth.Policy Analysis, Policy Making, Industrial Policy, Costa Rica

East Midlands food & drink sector strategy

The food & drink sector is one of four priority sectors identified in the regional economic strategy, A Flourishing Region. This document sets out a strategy for maximising the contribution of the food & drink sector to the economic development of the East Midlands