Article,
Why is software late? An empirical study of reasons for delay in software development
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 17 (6): 582-590 (June 1991)
Abstract
A study of the reasons for delay in software development is
described. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the reasons
for differences between plans and reality in development activities in
order to be able to take actions for improvement. A classification was
used to determine the reasons. 160 activities, comprising over 15000
hours of work, have been analyzed. The results and interpretations of
the results are presented. Insight into the predominant reasons for
delay enabled actions for improvements to be taken in the department
concerned. Because the distribution of reasons for delay varied widely
from one department to another, it is recommended that every department
should gain an insight into its reasons for delay in order to be able to
take adequate actions for improvement
