Use of Design Methods, Team Leaders' Goal Orientation, and Team Effectiveness: A Follow-Up Study in Software Development Projects

This article reports an empirical study on effectiveness of software development teams. Itwaspredicted thatboththe extent to whieh designmethods are used and teamleaders' goal orientation is related to team effectiveness. Follow-up data (6-12 months after first assessment) were available from 25 German and Swiss software developmentprojeets. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that use of design methods and team leaders' goal orientation predicted team effideney and changeability of the software product. In addition, goal orientation predicted maintaining schedule and budget. Practical impli­ cations of this study refer to the necessity to consider both the use of design methods and leadership issues when aiming at effective software development projects.