Assessing the awareness of software project risk management in Sri Lankan software industry

Abstract

Software projects are the lifeline of software development organizations. Due to the ever increasing complexities in systems, it is paramount that extensive planning and risk assessment is performed to ensure successful project completion. As an emerging industry in Sri Lanka, sound software project risk management is of crucial importance. This study is focused on measuring the awareness of software project risk management in Sri Lankan software industry. The study focuses primarily on investigating three key objectives: Firstly, identify the overall level of awareness of the software project risk management in Sri Lankan software industry. Secondly, extract the factors affecting to software project risk management and thirdly discussion on the risk response methods to the most significant risks found from survey results. Finally, the research discusses recommendations on improving the performance on better software project risk management based on the interviews conducted and the literature review. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches to fulfill research objectives. Data was primarily gathered through the questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire was distributed among selected professionals in Sri Lankan software industry. The results of the study indicate that the overall level of risk awareness in Sri Lankan software industry is above the average, evaluating to an estimated overall mean value of 3.7 out of 5. Study revealed that the awareness of software project risk management is dependent on the rganizational characteristic' such as size, complexity and cost of the project, organizational culture and higher management initiative. However there is no evidence to state that awareness is dependent on 'Technological aspects and individual characteristics' Since the irganizational characteristics have a relationship with the risk awareness, it is advisable to strictly adhere to the processes and policies within an organization to ensure the positive outcome. 11