Evidence-based decision making in lean software project management

Brian Fitzgerald, Mariusz Musiał, Klaas Jan Stol

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Many professions evolve from their origins as a creative craft process to a more product-centered industrial process. Software development is on such an evolutionary trajectory. A major step in this evolution is the progression from ad hoc to more rigorous evidence-based decision-making in software development project management. This paper extends theory and practice in relation to lean software development using such an evidence-based approach. Based on a comprehensive dataset of software development metrics, gathered in a longitudinal case study over a 22-month period, the Erlang-C model is used to analyze different software development parameters and to guide management decision-making in relation to development resources. The analysis reveals how 'gut-feel' and intuition can be replaced by evidence-based decision-making, and reveals how incorrect assumptions can underpin decisions which as a consequence do not achieve the desired outcome.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication36th International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE Companion 2014 - Proceedings
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages93-102
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9781450327688
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Event36th International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE 2014 - Hyderabad, India
Duration: 31 May 20147 Jun 2014

Publication series

Name36th International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE Companion 2014 - Proceedings

Conference

Conference36th International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE 2014
Country/TerritoryIndia
CityHyderabad
Period31/05/147/06/14

Keywords

  • Agile
  • Case study
  • Empirical study
  • Erlang-C model
  • Evidence-based decision making
  • Kanban
  • Lean

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