Gatekeepers in the action structure of software contracting: a case study of the evolution of user-developer relationships

The case study history of the cooperation between a software house and its client over a time span of 6 years is analyzed through the metaphor of the gatekeeper role. The analysis shows that, contrary to earlier research employing the gatekeeper metaphor, the gatekeeper role in software development work is not stable but changes considerably over time both from the point of view of the software house and the client. Moreover, there seem to be typical recurrent patterns of change for the gatekeeper role for both of the cooperating partners. The analysis indicates also that some of the main problems in contractual software development work may be alleviated through careful consideration of the content of the gatekeeper role in the cooperation phases between the software house and the client. A major question seems to be the decision when the managerial gatekeeper on each side must step aside and let the software developers and user representatives exchange information without managerial gatekeeping.