Understanding software operations support expertise: A revealed causal mapping approach

This paper utilizes a qualitative methodology, revealed causal mapping (RCM ), to investigate the phenomenon of software operations support expertise. Software operations support is a large portion of the IS work performed in organizations. While we as researchers have access to generalized theories and frameworks of expertise, very little is known about expertise in this c ritical area. To understand software operations support expertise, a mid-ra nge theory is evoked from interviews with experts and the construction of R CMs from those interviews. The results of this study indicate that software operation support expertise is comprised of five major constructs. persona l competencies, environmental factors, support personnel motivation, IS pol icies, and support personnel outcomes. Additionally, this study revealed th at these constructs interact differently in contexts where software support is the main activity versus contexts where the focus is development This s tudy demonstrates that the use of the RCM methodology yields constructs of software operations support expertise that are not suggested by generalized theory In addition, the use of RCM as an evocative, qualitative methodolog y reveals the interaction and linkages between these constructs. This paper also provides a history of and tutorial to the RCM methodology for use by the research community.