Social influences

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This dimension categorises actual or potential influences on the software development from a social perspective.


Individual

These categories are about characteristics of individuals that may influence the software development process.

  Personality
Where people do things because of who they are. This might be in terms of personal characteristics such as showing determination, being strong willed or enthusiastic. Or it might reflect on personal drivers such as a desire to improve personal systems, attitude to career improvements and how they balance demands of career and family, reactions to deadlines, reasons for liking a job. Equates at an organisational level to culture but the emphasis here is on the individual.

  Responses
Personal responses to the system and the development. Includes opinions, views or attitudes that affect the development positively or negatively. Examples include individual visions for the system, and personal dislike of change and individuals being defensive. Equates to organisational strategy and commitment. There is obviously a fuzzy line between this category and 'Personality'.

  Experience
Where an individual's previous experience is either ignored or is at odds with what they do or the experience of an individual is the reason for something happening. Also how they get and pass on this experience.

  Ability
Where something happens because an individual has a clear ability or perhaps conversely things go wrong because someone does not have the right abilities.

  Clout
Where an individual influences things because of their position or recognition within the organisation or alternatively someone's clout is not enough to make things happen.

  Informal networks
Where things happen because who knows whom, informal communication channel, etc.

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Team

These categories are about facets of the team that impact on the software development process. The team concerned is most likely to be those developing the software but can be other teams.

  Leadership
Styles of leadership, the perceived role and responsibilities of leaders, failures in leadership at team level and at more senior management levels.

  Composition
The make up of the team in terms of experience, business/IT knowledge and the internal structure and roles within the team. In this context team is interpreted as the people involved in developing the Multinational System.

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Organisation

These categories are about organisational characteristics which influence the software development process. This may be the organisation which is developing the software (GIS in X-Group) or the client organisation, X.

  Physical
Physical location of the organisation, that is, where the offices are, the extent to which this maps on to the organisation structure, distribution of staff, main markets etc.

  Structure
Company structure of X-Group and the internal structure of the X organisation.

  Systems
The processes or procedures within the organisation including those involving use of the Multinational System and formal methods of communication.

  Change
Changes within the organisation (eg structural change, change in strategy, staff changes) but not changes induced by this software development.

  Strategy
Direction of the business, its aims, mission and so on including increased reliance on IS/IT, vision for IT systems and independence from other X systems.

  Financial issues
Considerations of cost.

  Resource issues
Restrictions arising from limitations on non-financial resources (eg people, time, equipment)

  Culture
Generally held beliefs and accepted attitudes within the organisation including internal politics.

  Commitment
Acceptance throughout at least part of the organisation that a particular course of action is not only sensible but needs to be pushed through or a lack of organisational commitment. This is about the system being taken seriously by the senior management of the organisation.

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Environment

These categories cover elements of the environment external to the organisation which influence the software development process.

  Customers
Concerning the customers of the organisation.

  Competition
Concerning the organisation's competition.

  Suppliers
Reinsurers, suppliers of hardware, Sybase Professional Services.

  Physical
Physical considerations external to the organisation (eg earthquakes).

  Political
Political or international considerations such as currency problems or national financial regulations.

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© Clare Tagg 2000