Complexity theory as a model for the delivery of high value IT solutions

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many variations of Systems Development Life Cycle models have evolved over the last fiftyyears of systems engineering and software science, yet not enough knowledge is available tobetter understand these as Complex Adaptive Systems by studying chaos and complexitytheories. The primary application domain of the thesis is focused on the development ofelectronic hardware and software products.There is a great need for innovation to reach all corners of the development ecosystem;however a large cognitive distance exists between the concept of systematic productdevelopment and that of value creation. Instruments are needed to aid process agility, fordefusing imminent problems as they mount, and for making effective decisions to sustainmaximum productivity. Many of these objectives are neglected in systems developmentpractices. As with so many management fads, it appears that no single one of these modelslived up to all of the expectations and in many cases ended up being recipes for disaster.The statistics available on failed projects are concerning but has not stopped the scientific andengineering communities from trying over, and over again, to make progress. The goal of thethesis is therefore to identify the most viable model that supports the sustainability of systemsdevelopment team performance. The research draws insights from extant literature, byapplying a knowledge management theory based analysis on the various models with specificattention given to complexity theory.The dominant metric discovered is to measure the Value Velocity of a Systems DevelopmentTeam. This metric is determined by two independent variables, being Value Created andDelivery Delay.Complex Adaptive Systems simply requires a guiding vision and a carefully selected set ofgenerative rules for increasing and sustaining the Value Velocity.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University