M.S. Candidate: Dilek Çağlayan
Program: Information Systems
Date: 16.08.2024 / 13:30
Place: A-212

Abstract: Technical Debt (TD) is a metaphor to describe the cost of additional work caused by choosing a non-ideal solution in software development. Over time, TD accumulates and returns as a liability, necessitating significant refactoring to maintain code quality and system functionality. Despite being introduced over two decades ago, TD management remains a critical concern in software development. Numerous factors influence TD accumulation and management, with organizational culture significantly shaping the behaviour and decision-making processes of software development teams. Regardless of its significance, there exists a notable gap in literature concerning the influence of organizational culture on TD accumulation and management activities (TDM). The purpose of this study is to identify how cultural dynamics affect the TD accumulation and its management. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed in this study. First, a comprehensive list of TD types and indicators was compiled through a literature review and by obtaining the opinions of five experts. This resulted in the identification of 120 TD indicators across ten distinct TD types. For each indicator, at least two tailored assessment questions were defined. Afterwards, semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the relationship between organizational culture types and TD management. Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was used to evaluate the participants' cultural perceptions of their organizations. Responses from 30 software industry practitioners across six different domains revealed that organizations dominated by Clan and Market cultures tend to accumulate higher levels of TD. Additionally, Clan culture influences the adoption of both formal and informal TDM activities whereas Hierarchy culture places emphasis on systematic TDM approaches. These findings suggest that organizational culture has a major effect on the outcomes of technical debt and emphasise the importance of implementing management strategies specifically designed to address the cultural dynamics reside in organizations.