The Effects of Time Pressure on Quality in Software Development: An Agency Model.

Author List: Austin, Robert D.;
Information Systems Research, 2001, Volume 12, Issue 2, Page 195.
An agency framework is used to model the behavior of software developers as they weigh concerns about product quality against concerns about missing individual task dead- lines. Developers who care about quality but fear the career impact of missed deadlines may take "shortcuts." Managers sometimes attempt to reduce this risk via their deadline-setting policies; a common method involves adding slack to best estimates when setting deadlines to partially alleviate the time pressures believed to encourage shortcut-taking. This paper derives a formal relationship between deadline-setting policies and software product quality. It shows that: (1) adding slack does not always preserve quality, thus, systematically adding slack is an incomplete policy for minimizing costs; (2) costs can be minimized by adopting policies that permit estimates of completion dates and deadlines that arc different and; (3) contrary to casual intuition, shortcut-taking can be eliminated by setting deadlines aggressively, thereby maintaining or even increasing the time pressures under which developers work.
Keywords: Agency Theory; Principal-Agent; Software Estimating; Software Measurement; Software Qualify
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#261 0.180 software development maintenance case productivity application tools systems function tool engineering projects effort code developed applications analysis estimation methodology methods
#243 0.152 states united employment compensation labor workers paper work extent findings increasing implications concerns relationship managerial wage options offer salary entry
#70 0.103 contract contracts incentives incentive outsourcing hazard moral contracting agency contractual asymmetry incomplete set cost client parties examine effort structures double
#115 0.102 quality different servqual service high-quality difference used quantity importance use measure framework impact assurance better include means van dimensions assessing
#125 0.089 framework model used conceptual proposed given particular general concept frameworks literature developed develop providing paper developing guidelines concepts appropriate set
#151 0.089 costs cost switching reduce transaction increase benefits time economic production transactions savings reduction impact services reduced affect expected optimal associated
#232 0.072 software development product functionality period upgrade sampling examines extent suggests factors considered useful uncertainty previous called complementarities greater cost present
#24 0.058 institutional pressures logic theory normative embedded context incumbent contexts forces inertia institutionalized environment pressure identify mimetic dominant coupling board newly