Action Research: Configuration complexity in software systems - Evaluating script automation as a tool for lowering configuration time and complexity when configuring network settings.

Sammanfattning

Previous research has shown methods and tools used for software configurationwithin many organisations to be unnecessarily time consuming, prone to errors,and complex. Research also shows that the complexity of tools used have a negativeeffect on the adoption of said tool within an organisation. This thesis investigatedthe effect of partially automated software configuration using scripting has on thecomplexity and configuration time of a system. The context of this thesis was amedium-sized software company, focusing on the configuration of their Software-asa-Service network service. The research was performed using the action researchmethodology, to construct a tool, partially automating the configuration of softwaredevices.The created tool was evaluated on the difference in time, compared to the currentsolution, as well as the change in complexity. All the observed subjects neededslightly more, to moderately more time to complete a configuration using the createdtool. The subjects also perceived the configuration process as less complex with thecreated tool. The actual complexity of using the created tool was also observed tobe lower.The results from this study shows how the complexity of a configuration can beimproved by automation, even in cases where it is not possible to fully automatethe task.