Abstract
Software process improvement (SPI) approaches have been designed
to produce changes at many levels, i.e. in
the strategies, culture and working practices, of software development.
Studies have shown that nearly two thirds of all SPI efforts have
failed or fallen short of expectations. It is often stated in SPI-related
literature and practice that “commitment” to SPI
plays an important part in determining whether an SPI endeavor ultimately
becomes a success or a failure. However, it often remains unclear
what this concept actually means and how it affects SPI.
This thesis argues for a scientifically grounded concept of
commitment and delivers a description and a definition of this concept
in the context of software process improvement. The elaboration
of the concept is based on a literature study, which makes the research
done in behavioral psychology and organizational science applicable
in the field of software process improvement. This thesis shows
that current thinking relies on practical models of commitment,
and the empirically validated analysis conducted within this study
reveals a number of common misleading assumptions regarding the
notion and development of commitment in SPI. On this basis, this
thesis suggests that the commitment phenomenon is better explained
through what can be called strategic, operational and personal commitment
nets. This framework can be used for analyzing the unfolding and
alteration of commitment towards a specific entity, in this case
a software process improvement endeavor, through time and changing
circumstances.
The viability and usefulness of the commitment nets framework
is demonstrated through an analysis of four SPI cases in two software
organizations. As a result, it is shown that even though the objective
features of SPI in terms of costs and benefits may be dominating
in the project initiation phase, their role tends to lose strength
later on due to an inability of the SPI effort to produce quick
and meaningful results, even if these are explicitly sought for.
This phenomenon gives rise to a need for enhancing the role of social
and psychological drivers. If this is not achieved, SPI activities
are likely to cease to exist.
The empirical analysis demonstrates that the use of the commitment
nets model enables a more precise analysis of the various aspects
involved in the commitment phenomenon than what would have been
possible with current commitment models. Commitment, as conceptualized
and operationalized in this thesis, makes a significant contribution
to the outcome of the SPI initiative. The empirical evidence shows
that, eventually, even well-planned SPI initiatives may fail to
reach the goals set for them due to changes in commitment nets.