The dynamic of modern software development project management and the software crisis of quality. An integrated system dynamics approach towards software quality improvement

Abstract

The software industry is plagued by cost-overruns, delays, poor customer satisfaction and quality issues that are costing clients and customers world-wide billions of dollars each year. The phenomenon is coined The Software Crisis", and poses a huge challenge for software project management. This thesis addresses one of the core issues of the software crisis, namely software quality. The challenges of software quality are central for understanding the other symptoms of the software crisis. The dynamics of software quality will be examined through a system dynamics approach in order to reveal the behavioral patterns behind the managerial challenges. This paper utilizes the pioneering model of Tarek Abdel-Hamid that provides the core systems and behaviors of software project management. By further developing this model, I provide three core enhancements that will provide software management with additional information into the challenges of software quality and concrete policy solutions to achieve greater software quality. The enhancements include a dynamic and milestone based testing system, a client review scheme and a Capture Re-capture" pre-test system. These systems will provide overall greater software quality within reasonable cost-levels. They also provide an additional aid for managers and clients to construct more realistic plans concerning schedules and manpower-allocation for the software development cycle.