I-Corps: Improving software project outcomes

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

There is an overwhelming chance that any long-lived software project will be troubled or will fail. As a result, billions of dollars are wasted worldwide. It is believed that softwarecomplexity is a key factor. Code complexity, which sometimes grows unsustainably over time, can significantly affect developers, thereby impacting risk, revenue generation, productivity, cost, and business survival. Over the past 10 years, this I-Corps team has done quantitative work linking architectural degradation to business outcomes. This team has created financial models linking software architecture and software economics data, and tools that can help technologists evaluate and address high-value problems. This I-Corps team believes that the proposed technologies, which could give managers the ability to understand, monitor, estimate, and address code problems and the resulting business impact, could create significant financial value. This team aims to systematically explore the market potential of the proposed research and technologies by doing iterative customer discovery and validation using techniques pioneered by Steve Blank. The team also intends to use this process to pull insights gathered from potential customers directly into our prototype and product design process. During the first eight-week phase of the project, this team aims to interview 100-150 potential customers representative of important segments such as 'people in Fortune 1000 enterprises' and 'those doing diligence on software assets.' The team plans to interview SMEs in person, using teleconferencing technology, and at conferences such as the 'Agile Alliance' event in early August 2015. The goal of this process will be to determine if market potential exists and to identify important early beachheads. The team will use the business model canvas method to capture information about segments, value ropositions, channels, partners, customer relationships, etc. Another team goal is to learn how to manage a routinized outreach process that could later be used to drive a disciplined sales effort. In adition, the team will rapidly create and refine prototypes and technology demonstrations to show people in key segments. The goal of these prototypes will be to illustrate the potential of the proposed technology and get market and product feedback. This I-Corps project will dramatically improve and accelerate the team?s ability to identify (if it exists) the market potential for a decade of academic research.