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The article discusses the potential for cognitive bias to appear in the development of computer software, examining the use of traceability to eradicate the effect of cognitive bias while individuals perform change to design artifacts. Software developers may employ heuristics that are informed by cognitive biases when changing software artifacts, the article states. Other topics include the use of the cognitive aid traceability, simplifying complex inference tasks, the use of anchoring and adjustment, and peoples' initial estimates about a problem.

The article discusses the use of software configuration management to improve the change-management process. According to the author, one of the most common reasons for the failure of software development projects is the continuous evolution of software caused by volatility in customer requirements. Sources of this volatility are diverse, ranging from changes in technology, end-user needs, and dynamic market pressures. The author examines the ways software configuration management can mitigate problems related to these failures. INSET: HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED.

The article discusses tracing variations within a family of software products. Variations are modifications in features that make a product suitable to a particular market or audience, and tracing them enhances the knowledge integration required to create further variations. Low-end tracing meets organizational demands or minimal customer requirements, while system quality and customer satisfaction are the aims of high-end tracing. Firms that employ a product family engineering approach and that wish to effectively integrate individual and collective knowledge need to approach high-end tracing in a systematic and customizable way.

This article presents a case study related to software product lines. The authors note that software product lines often undergo numerous changes to meet the evolving needs of their various market segments,Software managers generally answer two questions: Whether there are general patterns of change that are common in product lines, and how management practices can be utilized to execute these changes. The case study examines large scale product lines of supply chain management systems, examining how management practices changed over the lifetime of certain products.

The article presents a case study of three U.S.-based companies that develop computer software in cooperation with partners in India. The authors discuss the communications, management, and organizational methods used by the companies in the case study. According to the authors, agile software development methods create communications challenges for work teams that are spread out across continents and oceans. One of the companies adopted a formal communications structure; they appointed an individual at each work site to be the "point person" for project communication. All of the companies found that "real-time" communication was important; as a result, onshore and offshore workgroups adjusted their hours to facilitate communication.