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Software Process Improvement Implementation Risks: A Qualitative Study Based on Software Development Maturity Models Implementations in Brazil

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Book cover Product-Focused Software Process Improvement (PROFES 2015)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 9459))

Abstract

Background: Several problems affect software process improvement (SPI) initiatives planning and institutionalization. Past SPI initiatives provide valuable knowledge that can be used to identify risks that might affect new ones. Aims: In this article we aimed to identify risks that might affect SPI initiatives involving the adoption of software development maturity models such as CMMI-DEV and MR-MPS-SW. Method: We (i) conducted a systematic mapping study to identify potential risks sources in Brazilian SPI-related literature and (ii) performed a qualitative analysis of selected articles using coding procedures and thematic analysis. Results: From 86 articles discussing SPI-related problems we were able to identify 17 risk categories, or top-level risks, that might affect software development maturity models deployment. These 17 risk categories are decomposed on 135 first level risks. Each risk is associated to possible causes, consequences and events. Among the most critical risk categories identified are: inadequate process definition, lack of support or commitment, lack of human resources, resistance to SPI initiative and lack of knowledge.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank CAPES and FAPERJ (project E-26/110.438/2014) for the financial support to this research. We also thank Bianca Trinkenreich, Diego Cruz, Raphael Khoury, Patricia Lima and Tayana Conte for their valuable contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PPGI/UNIRIO, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Eliezer Dutra & Gleison Santos

  2. Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica Celso Suckow da Fonseca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Eliezer Dutra

Authors
  1. Eliezer Dutra
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  2. Gleison Santos
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Correspondence to Eliezer Dutra .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technol., Trondheim, Norway

    Pekka Abrahamsson

  2. Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy

    Luis Corral

  3. University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Markku Oivo

  4. Free University of Bolzano, Bozen, Italy

    Barbara Russo

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Dutra, E., Santos, G. (2015). Software Process Improvement Implementation Risks: A Qualitative Study Based on Software Development Maturity Models Implementations in Brazil. In: Abrahamsson, P., Corral, L., Oivo, M., Russo, B. (eds) Product-Focused Software Process Improvement. PROFES 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 9459. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26844-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26844-6_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-26843-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-26844-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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