A public report summarising the data collected during the survey is now available (updated June 2012).
The long term goal for our research is to provide the software industry with a means of identifying suitable improvement initiatives based on specific organisational contexts and 'as-is' practices. Our next step is to identify the most suitable means of applying the model we are using within organisations. If you would like to help us with our research, please contact Diana Kirk at dkir006-@-aucklanduni.ac.nz. The benefits to you would be an exposure of weaknesses in your organisation's practices, as identified by the model. The benefits to us would be an evaluation of our model along with directions for appropriate use.
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the report with us, please email Diana Kirk at dkir006-@-aucklanduni.ac.nz.
Diana Kirk and Ewan Tempero, The University of AucklandHere are the questions asked in the survey:
Below is a description of the purpose of the survey, or you can proceed directly to the survey:
This survey is part of a research project whose aims are to understand how software practices are implemented within New Zealand organisations and how these practices might result in benefits and issues during software project implementation. The aim is one of discovery. We would like to identify more effective ways of developing computer software by learning from practitioners in the industry. The study is part of the SPPI Project, which is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), contract #UOAX0711. The Principal Investigator for the SPPI Practices project is Associate Professor Ewan Tempero from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Auckland and the investigation is supported by Dr. Diana Kirk.
The survey is available online. Employers or those with decision making authority within a group ("Employers") of New Zealand software organisations will be invited to participate by a letter of invitation, supported by the appropriate Employer Information Sheet and Consent Form. Letters will be followed up by email containing a link to the web survey page containing project information and the questionnaire. On decision to participate, the Employer may forward the email to suitable employees. Employee participation is voluntary and confidential and all information received will remain anonymous. For each participating organisation, we would like to hear from a cross-section of roles within the software development function.
This study has been approved by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee (Ref. 2010/054). For compliance with the ethics process, empolyers and employees are advised to read the Employer Participant Information Sheet or the Employee Participant Information Sheet prior to agreeing to participate. Employers should return a signed Employer Consent Form to dkir006-@-aucklanduni.ac.nz. Employee's consent is implied by participation in the survey.
Your participation and feedback will be of great value in helping us identify more effective ways of developing computer software. If you are a Employer and would like to participate in this study, please contact Diana Kirk at dkir006-@-aucklanduni.ac.nz.