Managing The Characteristics Of Software Product Development Programs

Multiple related software development projects are often managed concurrently and systematically to deliver a complex software system. This approach of managing multiple interdependent projects together to achieve a common goal is called program management (Pellegrinelli, 1997). A software development program can generate the benefits that cannot be achieved by managing projects individually. The software product development program has the special characteristics such as complexity, uncertainty and interdependence (1995). A software product development program can play an active role in managing the uncertainty and interdependence in the software development process. This dissertation is designed to examine the external communication effectiveness of the program team on the interdependence between the program and the larger organizational context. In addition, this dissertation studies the inter-project coordination effectiveness on uncertainty within a program. Based upon organizational Information Processing Theory (IPT) and Resource Dependence Theory (RDT), theoretical frameworks are developed. The proposed research models are tested by surveying software product development programs across a range of industries. The results will contribute to the understanding of multiple-project communication in a program\u27s context. The specific interactions between coordination/communication and the product development characteristics will provide a guideline for the industrial practices