Software development projects fail far too often, costing companies billions in revenue, loss of the intended purpose, and damage to both customers and suppliers in the process (A. Shenhar & V. Holzmann, 2017a). Understanding the challenge of ever-failing globally distributed software development projects is the goal and research conducted in this dissertation. The vision guiding the direction of this research is "What are the between-team barriers that impede the successful delivery of Agile software development in Globally Distributed Teams?" Through the literature review, a model was created and refined. A Mixed-Method Sequentially Replicated Case Study Research was performed to determine within-case and cross-case findings. The research covers five replicated cases from various industries, including Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas, Insurance, and Healthcare. Using a Thematic Analysis process, the project leadership was questioned and interviewed.
The results of the qualitative research were compared and contrasted with Likert data
collected from the team members. Analysis performed included significant qualitative findings, most impactful factors, and alignment between the leaders and team members. The research found that all factors can be vital enough to cause a project to fail. The research found that the process factor is significantly less impactful than initially thought, and the people (the team) factor are clear success criterion. The research provides value to current and future project owners by
providing them with criteria to evaluate their projects. The evaluation against criteria allows a project owner to adjust or create the conditions for success. Future research should be capable of expanding on this research by creating practical guides and specific tools for project creation where the projects have a greater success rate.
Major: Industrial Engineering
Educational Career:
Bachelor's of Computer Engineering, BS, 1991, University of Central Florida
Master's of Engineering Management, MS, 2011, University of Central Florida
Committee in Charge:
Timothy Kotnour, Chair, IEMS
Robert Hoekstra , University of Central Florida Graduate Faculty Advisor
Heather Keathley, University of Central Florida Graduate Faculty Advisor
John Farr, CECS Graduate Faculty Scholar
Approved for distribution by Timothy Kotnour, Committee Chair, on January 3, 2023.
The public is welcome to attend.