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    SoftwareRemove Software →

    New research on software from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including the role software can play in improving business operations, managing software teams, and strategies for mixing open source and proprietary technologies.
    Page 1 of 16 Results
    • 04 Apr 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Tech Hubs: How Software Brought Talent and Prosperity to New Cities

    by Rachel Layne

    Software invention spurred the rapid ascent of six American tech hubs, helping them draw talent from even larger cities. Will the rise of remote work shake the status quo? Research by William Kerr. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 19 Jul 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Open Source Software and Global Entrepreneurship

    by Nataliya Langburd Wright, Frank Nagle, and Shane Greenstein

    Does more activity in open source software development lead to increased entrepreneurial activity and, if so, how much, and in what direction? This study measures how participation on the GitHub open source platform affects the founding of new ventures globally.

    • 22 Jun 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Iterative Coordination and Innovation

    by Sourobh Ghosh and Andy Wu

    Do Agile methodologies promote innovation? Results of a field experiment with Google show that increasing the frequency and goal orientation of stand-up meetings reinforces integration and value but reduces specialization and novelty in outcomes.

    • 21 Apr 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    7 Successful Battle Strategies to Beat COVID-19

    by Euvin Naidoo

    The Agile methodology used to speed complex software development is also helpful for managing decision-making in today's crisis environment, says Euvin Naidoo. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 24 Feb 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    The Hidden Vulnerabilities of Open Source Software

    by Frank Nagle and Jenny Hoffman

    The increasing use of open source software in most commercial apps has revolutionized software development—but also created hidden vulnerabilities, say Frank Nagle and Jenny Hoffman. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 28 Aug 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Who Drives Digital Innovation? Evidence from the US Medical Device Industry

    by Cirrus Foroughi and Ariel Dora Stern

    Major industries are undergoing a digital transformation, in which key aspects of new product development are migrating to a software-driven context. In the medical device industry, experience matters, as does the geographic clustering of new product development, which gives advantages to both new entrants and incumbent firms.

    • 22 Apr 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Government Technology Policy, Social Value, and National Competitiveness

    by Frank Nagle

    This study examines the impact of a French law requiring government agencies to favor open source software (OSS) over proprietary software in technology procurement processes. Results suggest a cost-effective policy lever that countries can use to both create global social value and increase their own national competitiveness.

    • 05 Sep 2018
    • Research & Ideas

    The Hidden Benefit of Giving Back to Open Source Software

    by Kristen Senz

    Firms that allow their software programmers to "give back" to the open source community on company time gain benefits—even though competitors might benefit too, says Frank Nagle. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 05 Jul 2017
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Designing an Agile Software Portfolio Architecture: The Impact of Coupling on Performance

    by Alan MacCormack, Robert Lagerström, Martin Mocker, and Carliss Y. Baldwin

    This study deepens our understanding of how firms can better design software portfolio architectures to improve their agility. The authors examined data from over 1,000 different software applications and 3,000 dependencies between them. They found that indirect measures of coupling and dependency have more power in predicting IT agility than direct measures.

    • 09 Mar 2017
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Exploring the Relationship Between Architecture Coupling and Software Vulnerabilities: A Google Chrome Case

    by Robert Lagerström, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Alan MacCormack, Dan Sturtevant, and Lee Doolan

    Managing software vulnerabilities is a top issue in today’s society. By studying the Google Chrome codebase, the authors explore software metrics including architecture coupling measures in relation to software vulnerabilities. This paper adds new findings to research on software metrics and vulnerabilities, bringing the field closer to generalizable and conclusive results.

    • 20 Jan 2016
    • Research & Ideas

    Maybe Uber isn't God's Gift to Mankind

    by Carmen Nobel

    Benjamin G. Edelman discusses the potential negative effects of transportation network companies in the so-called sharing economy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 01 Oct 2015
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Efficiencies and Regulatory Shortcuts: How Should We Regulate Companies like Airbnb and Uber?

    by Benjamin Edelman & Damien Geradin

    With the rise of service technology platforms such as Uber, a new regulatory approach is needed providing more flexibility that ensures service providers, users and third parties are adequately protected.

    • 09 Apr 2014
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Visualizing and Measuring Software Portfolio Architectures: A Flexibility Analysis

    by Robert Lagerstrom, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Alan MacCormack & David Dreyfus

    Contemporary business environments are constantly evolving, requiring continual changes to the software applications that support a business. Moreover, during recent decades, the sheer number of applications has grown significantly, and they have become increasingly interdependent. Many companies find that managing applications and implementing changes to their application portfolio architecture is increasingly difficult and expensive. Firms need a way to visualize and analyze the modularity of their software portfolio architectures and the degree of coupling between components. In this paper, the authors test a method for visualizing and measuring software portfolio architectures using data of a biopharmaceutical firm's enterprise architecture. The authors also use the measures to predict the costs of architectural change. Findings show, first, that the biopharmaceutical firm's enterprise architecture can be classified as core-periphery. This means that 1) there is one cyclic group (the "Core") of components that is substantially larger than the second largest cyclic group, and 2) this group comprises a substantial portion of the entire architecture. In addition, the classification of applications in the architecture (as being in the Core or the Periphery) is significantly correlated with architectural flexibility. In this case the architecture has a propagation cost of 23 percent, meaning almost one-quarter of the system may be affected when a change is made to a randomly selected component. Overall, results suggest that the hidden structure method can reveal new facts about an enterprise architecture. This method can aid the analysis of change costs at the software application portfolio level. Key concepts include: This method for architectural visualization could provide valuable input when planning architectural change projects (in terms of, for example, risk analysis and resource planning). The method reveals a "hidden" core-periphery structure, uncovering new facts about the architecture that could not be gained from other visualization procedures or standard metrics. Compared to other measures of complexity, coupling, and modularity, this method considers not only the direct dependencies between components but also the indirect dependencies. These indirect dependencies provide important input for management decisions. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 11 Jan 2010
    • Research & Ideas

    Mixing Open Source and Proprietary Software Strategies

    by Julia Hanna

    Open source and proprietary software development used to be competing strategies. Now software firms are experimenting with strategies that mix the two models. Researcher Gaston Llanes discusses recent research into these "mixed source" strategies. Key concepts include: Software companies are taking a "best of both worlds" approach by creating products that use a combination of OS and proprietary software code. The researchers wanted to get a clearer sense of when a profit-maximizing firm should adopt a mixed-source business model and what that model might look like under different circumstances. Results indicate recurring patterns and strategies that managers can take into consideration when setting strategy. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 25 Sep 2006
    • Research & Ideas

    How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

    by Sean Silverthorne

    Cell phones, the Game Boy, and PCs are examples of products based upon software platforms—ecosystems where independent companies can provide products and services tied to the core technology. Playing in a software platform world can make you rich—ask ringtone creators—but it also demands special management skills that emphasize cooperation over competition. Professor Andrei Hagiu discusses his new book, Invisible Engines. Key concepts include: Software platforms have improved productivity and innovation in many industries, disrupted or destroyed others, and created entirely new businesses. Software platforms are powerful engines of change because of the malleability of code and of the fundamental functions they perform, which make it easy for them to march across industry boundaries; and because their multi-sided nature allows them to spawn vibrant ecosystems of complementors. Managing software platforms is about much more than creating technology. It takes skills in navigating cooperation and competition, building creative business models, and anticipating competition across industries. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 30 Apr 2001
    • Research & Ideas

    Why Evolutionary Software Development Works

    by Alan MacCormack

    What is the best way to develop software? HBS professor Alan MacCormack discusses recent research proving the theory that the best approach is evolutionary. In this article from MIT Sloan Management Review, MacCormack and colleagues Marco Iansiti and Roberto Verganti uncover four practices that lead to successful Internet software development. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

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