Real to Real: Deriving Software Development Practices from Film Production Principles

Abstract

Software development projects face significant risks of going over budget, over schedule, and of failing to deliver expected benefits. These risks have endured despite methodological changes within the industry, such as the rise in popularity of Agile. This research looks outside of the software industry and seeks inspiration from film production, which has developed different management strategies to address challenges similar to those faced by software development projects.

First, an analysis of film production project management reveals four principles, each evidenced by a set of practices used throughout the industry. Next, we identify sets of practices that would enable software development projects to also align to those same four principles. The synthesis of each principle from its set of supporting film production practices is then validated through structured interviews with veteran film producers. Lastly, the derivation of each principle to a parallel set of supporting practices within the context of software development is validated in a second series of interviews with experienced software development project managers.

In total, this research identifies a set of software development project management practices that mirror film production practices. These practices offer a framework for software development project managers to consider when seeking to tailor existing methodologies, particularly in scenarios that present challenges similar to those encountered in film production.