An exploratory study of software process improvement implementation risks

Software process improvement (SPI) initiatives have been around for many years, yet many companies are still facing SPI implementation problems. The objective of this exploratory research is to gain an in-depth understanding of risks that can undermine SPI implementation from the perspective of software development practitioners. Interviews were conducted as the main approach of data collection from 34 SPI practitioners. Interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed. The interview transcripts were systematically scrutinised to identify the major themes for SPI implementation. The identified themes were noted down and compared with the notes made during the interviews to ascertain that the former are indeed a true reflection of the discussion in the interviews. This two-step process also verified that the transcription process had not changed the original data generated in the interviews. Five SPI risks were identified from the interview data: organisational politics, lack of support, lack of defined SPI implementation methodology, lack of awareness and lack of resources that are generally considered critical by Australian practitioners. The results also reveal the similarities and the differences in the risks identified by different group of practitioners (i.e. developers, managers and senior managers), different type of organisations (i.e. small-medium and large) and organisations with mature and immature software development processes. Practitioners identify SPI risks based on previous SPI implementation experience.