Factors Limiting the Speed of Software Acquisition

Abstract

The time required to complete a software development or upgrade, like any other project, depends on the content of the project, how it is managed, and its preexisting conditions. The factors limiting the speed of software acquisition and enhancement fall into these principal categories, in rough order of importance: 1. Required functionality—what you need the software to do (and not do) 2. Architecture—the organizing structure of the software and its operating environment 3. Technology maturity—to what extent the intended design uses novel solutions 4. Resources—the people, skills, funds, data, and infrastructure needed to do the work 5. Testing strategy—acquiring the information to fix defects early in development 6. Contract structure—the alignment of contractor incentives with DoD satisfaction 7. Change management—the processes for trading off performance, schedule, cost, and sustainability This paper considers this taxonomy and examines how each category affects the pace of development.