An ISO/IEC 12207 Perspective on Software Development Process Adaptation

Abstract

In their earlier work, the authors had a sustained engagement with situational factors affecting software development, particularly how these factors affect the software development process. Part of this previous engagement involved the development of a situational factors reference framework. As part of an ongoing industrial engagement, the authors are currently examining situational factors and software development processes in a series of case studies. This latest case study is concerned with a small start-up organization. They start by identifying the software development process in this organization. Thereafter, the authors examine the situational context of the company, leading to an analysis of the relationship between the process and the situational context. Their general findings are consistent with their previous related work, supporting the case that a software development process is dependent on the organizational context, perhaps in a highly complex manner. In this particular case study, the authors also find that the role of organizational learning and process adaption is considered to be central to organizational survival.