Risk Implications of Software Project Organization Structures

Researching organization structures is no longer in fashion. However, a study uncovered gaps in our knowledge about the structure of software projects and their associated risks. This paper develops risk profiles from the literature of four common structures (functional, project, matrix and adhocracy forms) and validates them against data from a public sector study. Understanding structure as a source of project risk could unlock deeply embedded performance problems in software projects that have been overlooked or attributed to other causes.