New research forthcoming

How deadline orientation and architectural modularity influence software quality and job satisfaction

In a forthcoming paper co-authored by Thomas Kude, Jens Förderer, Sunil Mithas, and Armin Heinzl, we study how the "deadline orientation" of software developers interacts with architectural modularity to influence software quality and job satisfaction. 

The success of digital transformation efforts often requires the development of new software in a quick and iterative manner with high quality and the ability to retain software developers through high job satisfaction. The study considers two key factors in software development: deadline orientation, defined as the preference for doing work shortly before deadlines versus an alternative approach of doing most of the work either upfront or with a steady pace throughout, and software modularity. The study finds that ensuring a fit between developers' deadline orientation and software modularity is important, as deadline-oriented developers will produce higher-quality software and will be more satisfied with their job in regard to software with high architectural modularity.

The paper is part of a special issue of the Jouranl of Operations Management on "Operations management in the age of digital transformation." 

Kude, T.,  Foerderer, J.,  Mithas, S., &  Heinzl, A. (2023).  How deadline orientation and architectural modularity influence software quality and job satisfaction. Journal of Operations Management,  1– 24. https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1230