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A Case Study of User Adherence and Software Project Performance Barriers from a Sociotechnical Viewpoint

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Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Software and Systems Engineering (AHFE 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 787))

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Abstract

A marine propeller company and a technical university collaborated to optimize the company’s existing propeller design software. This paper reviews the project based on a sociotechnical perspective to organizational change on (a) how the university-company project and user involvement were organized, and (b) what the main management barriers were and why they may have occurred. Fieldwork included interviews and observations with university and company stakeholders over thirteen months. The data was analyzed and sorted into themes describing the barriers, such as lack of a planned strategy for deliverables or resource use in the project; the users exhibited low adherence towards the optimized software, as well as there was limited time and training allocated for them to test it. Lessons learned suggest clarifying stakeholder roles and contributions, and engaging the users earlier and beyond testing the software for malfunctions to enhance knowledge mobilization, involve them in the change and increase acceptance.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A sociotechnical approach to systems is one where the technological and the social are mutually dependent [2, 3]. Linking the technology and the personnel are routines, organizational structures and processes, and beyond the boundaries of this system is an external environment in which the system exists, upon which it depends and to which it must adapt [3].

  2. 2.

    The management environment encompasses both the stakeholders at the university and the managers at the company in a continuous back-and-forth of information and joint decision-making.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chalmers University of Technology, Hörselgången 4, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Nicole A. Costa, Florian Vesting, Joakim Dahlman & Scott N. MacKinnon

Authors
  1. Nicole A. Costa
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  2. Florian Vesting
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  3. Joakim Dahlman
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  4. Scott N. MacKinnon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole A. Costa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

    Tareq Z. Ahram

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Costa, N.A., Vesting, F., Dahlman, J., MacKinnon, S.N. (2019). A Case Study of User Adherence and Software Project Performance Barriers from a Sociotechnical Viewpoint. In: Ahram, T. (eds) Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Software and Systems Engineering. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 787. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94229-2_2

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