The Amount of Control in Offshore Software Development Projects

Abstract

Prior research has focused on factors influencing the choice of controls in traditional project settings. Building on this research, this paper investigates the amount of control—defined as the variety and intensity of control mechanisms—in offshore software development projects. Using a comparative case study approach, the authors put forward eight propositions regarding the factors that influence the amount of control and its dynamics. Their results not only confirm existing findings, such as the predominance of formal controls and the negative effect of trust on the amount of formal control, but also contribute with new findings. For instance, they were able to identify particularly high levels of control in projects with high task complexity and/or high offshore team involvement as well as intensive use of formal (outcome) control in high volume and strategically important projects. The authors’ empirical findings are integrated in a conceptual model that leads to a better understanding of the antecedents of the amount of both formal and informal controls. In contrast with previous studies, their findings do not support the notion that the amount of control is directly related to project success.