Work organization and software development

The current state of traditional software development is surveyed and essential problems are investigated on the basis of empirical data and theoretical considerations. The concept of optimisation cycle is proposed as a solution. The relation of several different kinds of local optimisation cycles to the specifications, the communications, and the optimisation problem is integrated into a concept of participatory software development. Software development without integrated work and/or task organizational development is suboptimal. User participation and prototyping decrease significantly cost and time exceedings. The more effort in early development stages, the less effort in the maintenance phase.