What Decision Characteristics Influence Decision Making in Market-Driven Large-Scale Software Product Line Development?
Jaap Kabbedijk, Krzysztof Wnuk, Björn Regnell, Sjaak Brinkkemper · Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) · 2010
Time efficiency is crucial for decision making in large scale market driven software product line development. In order to identify what factors influence the decision lead time and outcome, we conducted a retrospective case study at a large product software manufacturer and statistically analyzed seven possible relationships among decision characteristics. A large requirements engineering decision log was used to statistically test all hypotheses. The results show that the number of products affected by a decision has a positive relationship with the time needed to take a decision. Furthermore, more products imply a longer decision lead time. Results also show that when a change request originates from an important customer, the request is sooner accepted than changes requested internally. For efficient requirements management, our findings support that decision making activities can be carefully refined in large scale requirements engineering processes. Our findings, may be useful for Product Managers to understand the consequences of making certain types of decisions and planning actions in order to avoid their negative effects.