Modeling the dynamics of software project management

Working Paper, Alfred P. Sloan School of ManagementSubmitted for publication to the Communications of the ACMThe development of software systems has been marked by cost overruns, late deliveries, poor reliability, and users' dissatisfaction. The problems persist in spite of significant , advances in the software engineering field to tackle the technological hurdles of software production. In recent years, the managerial aspects of software development have been gaining increasing recognition as being at the cores of both the problem and the solution. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, we present a research paradigm for the study of software project management that is grounded in the feedback systems principles of system dynamics. Feedback processes are universal in social systems in general, and we show how, when applied to software project management, they do provide a powerful lens to view and understand software project behavior. Second, we summarize the stream of research findings obtained to date. A system dynamics model of software project management has been developed and is being used to study and predict the dynamic implications of an array of managerial policies and procedures pertaining to the management of software development