Research Method

INDEX | ORGANISATION | TIME LINE | PEOPLE | STORY | RESEARCH METHOD | COMMENTARY | FINDINGS | HELP | BOTTOM


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Evidence

Each of the recordings (documents collected and transcripts of conversations) were divided into separate evidence items based on their chronological relevance; a piece of text referring to a new chronological event became a new piece of evidence. Pieces of text not relating to the development and use of the software were omitted. Each piece of evidence was further edited to remove the duplication, false starts and convoluted sentences often found in conversational speech. The comments and questions of the researcher have also been omitted where these were not necessary for the sense. Where included they are enclosed in { }. Where parts of the conversation are omitted this is indicated by ..., where the tape cannot be understood this is indicated by ???.

The purpose of these edits was to make the resultant items more readable and great care was taken to ensure that the sense of the conversation or document was not lost, occasionally explanations are included in [ ]. Where conversations were not recorded, evidence items have been written from notes made at the time and are enclosed in [ ]. By viewing evidence from the recording and following the recording links it is possible to reconstruct the edited version of the original document containing the evidence.

The evidence items were then assembled into a chronological story juxtaposing items that related to the same event from different sources. This means it is possible to contrast what different people said about an event and how their views of that event changed through time. The evidence items may be viewed through the chronological story by following the story links. To view the entire story, return to the story index at the end of each episode to move onto the next episode. The chronological story was used to provide a description of the case study including the structure of the organisation, the people involved and the time line of the development.

Each item of evidence was categorised according to the influences on the software development process exhibited in the item or influences that were notable by their absence. Two types of influence were explicitly considered. The story was viewed from a social perspective looking for influences of the individual, team, organisation and environment. The story was also viewed from a technical perspective looking for the influences of the software process, the individual tasks of software development, the IT environment and the system itself. The categorisation of each evidence item is shown on the evidence page but it is also possible to view all the evidence items relating to a particular social influence or a technical influence by following the links which present the evidence chronologically within an influence.

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Synthesis memos

By considering the evidence for each influence, memos on the software development were written highlighting the consequences of the influences on the process. Each of the synthesis memos provides links to the evidence and influence which led to the memo. The memos were used to explain how the software development was influenced during conception, construction, and delivery and a commentary on the software development process was written.

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Key influences

The entries in the commentary were categorised according to the underlying or key influence. These 12 key influences were important to the way in which the software was conceived, constructed and delivered. The findings provide an explanation of the impact of each key influence on the development of the Multinational system.


INDEX | ORGANISATION | TIME LINE | PEOPLE | STORY | RESEARCH METHOD | COMMENTARY | FINDINGS | HELP | TOP

© Clare Tagg 2000