Plans and situated actions: the problem of human-machine communication
Plans and situated actions: the problem of human-machine communication
In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power
In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power
Managing the software process
Why information systems fail: a case study approach
Why information systems fail: a case study approach
The capability maturity model: guidelines for improving the software process
The capability maturity model: guidelines for improving the software process
“It's like everyone working around the same desk”: organisational readings of Lotus Notes
Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems
CMM implementation guide: choreographing software process improvement
CMM implementation guide: choreographing software process improvement
Improving software organizations: from principles to practice
Improving software organizations: from principles to practice
Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach
Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach
Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools
Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools
Managers Divided: Organisation Politics and Information Technology Management
Managers Divided: Organisation Politics and Information Technology Management
Software Maintenance Management
Software Maintenance Management
Measurement Programs in Software Development: Determinants of Success
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Proceedings of the IFIP WG8.2 Working Group on Information Systems Development: Human, Social, and Organizational Aspects: Human, Organizational, and Social Dimensions of Information Systems Development
Collaborative Practice Research
HOIT '00 Proceedings of the IFIP TC9 WG9.3 International Conference on Home Oriented Informatics and Telematics,: Information, Technology and Society
Determinants of Success in Software Measurement Programs: Initial Results
METRICS '99 Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Software Metrics
Software Process Improvement as organizational change: A metaphorical analysis of the literature
Journal of Systems and Software
Prescription, description, reflection: the shape of the software process improvement field
International Journal of Information Management: The Journal for Information Professionals
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In a large software company in Denmark, much effort was expended capturing metrics about the company's software operation. The purpose of the metrics program was to change and improve the software operation. Writing software can be understood as socially constructed practice, which can be analyzed using structuration theory. This structurational analysis showed that the company's software operation followed an easily recognizable and widely understood pattern. The software operation was organized in terms of development projects leading to applications that then needed maintenance, and displayed a heavy focus on project development work and hitting the project deadline. Study of the metrics program (and the computer software underpinning it) revealed that the familiar pattern was also inscribed into the metrics software, heavily influencing the company's metrics practice. Rather than challenge the underlying social practice of the software operation, the metrics program reinforced it by adopting the same underlying values. Our conclusion is that, under these circumstances, metrics programs are unlikely to result in radical changes to the software operation, and are best suited to small, incremental improvements.