Mer än bara kod : Att hantera teknisk skuld ur ett strategiskt och organisatoriskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning

Technical debt (TD) is a phenomenon within software development where short-term design and implementation decisions affect a system’s long-term longevity and quality. Managing TD (TDM) is a continuous process in which organizational resources are allocated and prioritized to balance short-term business value with long-term software quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate how this procedure is conducted in real-world software projects. The study applied a qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews with IT-managers to collect data. Thereafter, the theoretical framework Resource-Based View (RBV) was applied to conduct a thematic analysis of the material. Furthermore, three fundamental organizational assets were identified, namely organizational culture, institutional competence and corporate standards and practices. These assets in turn enable organisations capability to reduce, identify and prevent TD. The results of this study indicate that effective management of TD requires organizational and strategic responsibility rather viewed solely as a technical challenge.