Tailoring software development

Abstract

In this research-in-progress we review existing studies and theories that focus on tailoring software development. Our purpose is to develop a more complete model of the tailoring process than is found in the current literature. In our theory, "tailoring" refers to the activities of selecting a set of standardized processes for a software development project prior to the start of the project, modifying those selected processes for the specific project as the development team begins its work, and monitoring and adjusting the processes and project goals and constraints over the course of the project. We present a model that allows us to understand what is involved in tailoring software development at key points in time relative to a specific software development project. We present the model as currently a work-in-progress and illustrate its use by presenting a few hypotheses based on relationships specified in the model and supporting literature.