Analyzing outsourced software development in the downstream petroleum sector in Ghana
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Date
2021-06-18
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Abstract
Making a decision of going outsourcing for software development, can be a very
confusing and difficult task. Both young companies and well-established ones are
adopting software development outsourcing (SDO). A lot of organisations, if not most,
don’t consider all the necessary factors needed to make the choice of developing
software using the outsourcing approach. This study sought to make an in-depth
analysis of developing software by contracting third-party developers(outsourcing), in
the downstream petroleum sector in Ghana by outlining the merits and demerits of
outsourcing software development in the industry, identifying vital technical and
management decisions that influence outsourcing and identifying the effects that
outsourcing software has on the project and operations of an organisation. The mixed
methods approach was employed for this research work. Purposive and snowballing
sampling methods were used to select individuals within the downstream petroleum
industry in Ghana to be interviewed and administered questionnaires. The qualitative
data helped in identifying some of the factors that influence outsourcing while also
pointing out some of its advantages and disadvantages. The findings from the study
indicated that, though the organisations within the industry share some of the merits
and demerits, there were some of such that were organisation-specific. It also
highlighted eight (8) factors that play a major role when deciding to outsource. Finally,
the impact of outsourcing on an organisation; both on the project and the operations
of the entity were realised. It is of worth to note that, both positive and negative
impacts were realised, though the benefits outweighed the shortcomings. The study
concludes with strategies that can be put in place to curb the shortcomings of the
outsourcing approach to software development
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award Degree of
Master of Science in Project Management.
Keywords
Outsourcing, Downstream, Software development