1 research outputs found
Work Issues in Software Engineering
Using data from a web-based survey of software developers, the author
attempts to determine root causes of "death march" projects and excessive work
hours in the software industry in relation to company practices and management.
Special emphasis is placed on the factor of business/technical supervisor
background. An analysis of variance revealed significant differences between
these supervisor groups with regard to a "Pointy-Haired Boss" (PHB) sentiment
index. This difference, combined with correlations between the PHB index and
the endpoints of project failure and use of software engineering practices,
indicate some disparity in the suitability of businessbackground supervisors to
manage software development projects compared with their technical-background
counterparts. Other survey data points to improved project management skills as
the biggest necessity for supervisors in the business-background group