Knowledge management: impact of knowledge delivery factors on software product development efficiency

Software development (SWD) is a knowledge intensive activity. SWD organizations apply knowledge management system (KMS) to create, gather, store and distribute in-house knowledge. Studies show that employing KMS might introduce risks as well as benefits. Better understanding of how different characteristics of KMS affect SWD efficiency will help organizations increase the benefits and reduce the potential risks at the same time. In this empirical research study, we investigated the effects of knowledge delivery factors on SWD efficiency. Based on data collected from forty one software development companies in North America, the authors examine the impact of knowledge delivery factors. Results obtained show that pull, not push, approach of knowledge delivery is more effective; that SWD will be more efficient if knowledge is delivered close to the time it is needed; and that SWD efficiency is not affected by how deeply knowledge delivery is embedded in the development process.