Review Chapter 20 In The Course Text In Your Own Words

Review Chapter 20 In The Course Text In Your Own Words Discuss The O

Review chapter 20 in the course text, in your own words, discuss the Obstacles to Improve System Development Productivity. Note: Your initial post will be your answer to the Question and is to be 250 – 300 words with at least two references. Initial post will be graded on length, content, grammar and use of references. References should always be below each question as they are a different topic and not related in any way. References: McKeen, J. D., & Smith, H. A. (2015). IT strategy: Issues and practices (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Paper For Above instruction

Enhancing system development productivity remains a significant challenge within the Information Technology landscape. According to McKeen and Smith (2015), several obstacles hinder progress in this area, primarily revolving around organizational, technical, and process-related issues.

One major obstacle is the complexity inherent in modern systems. As systems become more sophisticated, their design, implementation, and maintenance demand extensive resources and expertise. This complexity can lead to longer development cycles and increased error rates, thus reducing overall productivity (McKeen & Smith, 2015). Furthermore, frequent changes in project requirements often disrupt development workflows. These modifications stem from evolving business needs, stakeholder demands, or technological shifts, and they create scope creep that hampers timely completion of projects.

Organizational factors also play a crucial role. Resistance to change among staff and management can impede the adoption of new methodologies or tools aimed at improving productivity. Additionally, lack of adequate training and proper resource allocation can result in skill gaps or underutilization of available tools (Boehm, 1988). This insufficiency diminishes efficiency and discourages innovation. Moreover, communication gaps and poor coordination among development teams hinder collaboration, leading to duplicated efforts and misunderstandings.

Technical limitations further compound these challenges. Legacy systems may not integrate well with new technologies, creating bottlenecks in development. Additionally, inadequate tools for project management, version control, and testing can slow down processes considerably (Fitzgerald et al., 2013). All of these technical issues culminate in decreased productivity, increased costs, and delays.

To mitigate these obstacles, organizations need to foster a culture of continuous improvement, invest in training, and adopt agile methodologies that accommodate change more flexibly. Proper planning, communication, and leveraging advanced tools are essential for overcoming these barriers and boosting system development productivity.

References

  • Fitzgerald, B., Hartnett, G., & Conboy, K. (2013). Customisation and agility in agile systems development. Communications of the ACM, 56(2), 61-66.
  • Boehm, B. W. (1988). A spiral model of software development and enhancement. Computer, 21(5), 61-72.
  • McKeen, J. D., & Smith, H. A. (2015). IT strategy: Issues and practices (3rd ed.). Pearson.

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