Antidotes for high complexity and ambiguity in software development

In a longitudinal study of 47 software development teams, we investigate in teractions between team and technology factors and the degree of complexity and ambiguity of the projects themselves. From the literature, we propose a theoretical model that identifies a characteristic of the technology (mod ularity) and a characteristic of the team process (conflict resolution) use d during system development, as effective for minimizing the adverse effect s of high task-based complexity and ambiguity (those tasks for which multip le acceptable solutions exist). We hypothesize that modularity and conflict -resolution techniques will account for a significant amount of the varianc e in user satisfaction for highly complex and ambiguous projects, but that this will not be the case for simple and unambiguous projects. Our findings confirm this hypothesis, indicating that effective conflict resolution and modularity are associated with significantly higher client satisfaction si x months after implementation for all projects. An explanation for these fi ndings is offered, followed by implications for theorists and practitioners . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.