VILNIUS TECH Library invites you to follow the published new dissertations. The dissertation „Research on the impact of human factors on software development processes“ prepared at VILNIUS TECH by Šarūnė Sielskaitė. The dissertation was prepared in 2020–2026. Scientific consultant – Prof. Dr Diana Kalibatienė.
The dissertation was defended at the public meeting of the Dissertation Defense Council of the Scientific Field of Informatics Engineering in the Aula Doctoralis Meeting Hall of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University at 2 p.m. on 21 May 2026.
The software development process (SDP) is a complex and multifaceted system of interrelated activities influenced by numerous variables, including the development methodologies and the human factor (HF), which play a central role. While methodologies, such as AGILE and WATERFALL, define structured approaches to software development, the actual trajectory, duration, and outcomes of the SDP are often significantly shaped by human-related factors. As a knowledge-intensive and dynamic process, SDP depends heavily on human expertise, collaboration, and decision-making. The human factor encompasses a wide range of behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions, including individual skills, motivation, and team interactions, which introduce variability and uncertainty into the process. Due to its abstract nature and the difficulty of quantification, HF remains a subject of ongoing academic and practical research aimed at identifying the key human-centric determinants that influence the success of software development. Consequently, a deeper understanding and effective management of these factors are essential for achieving favorable project outcomes and advancing the maturity of software engineering practices. This research introduces a novel approach to examining the influence of HF on the SDP, offering a comprehensive perspective through the lens of distinct software development methodologies. The proposed approach incorporates several innovative elements, including the application of fuzzification techniques to model HF uncertainties within SDP activities. By capturing the variability and unpredictability of human behavior, this approach allows for a more nuanced representation of HF impact. Additionally, the proposed approach uses a case-handling paradigm to model and simulate different SDP instances from real-world SDP scenarios, further enabling their dynamic and case-based analysis. To ensure the robustness and relevance of the findings, real HF-related data were collected from multiple IT organizations, providing a solid empirical foundation for the study. The findings of this research reveal notable differences in how HF influences SDP performance across the WATERFALL and AGILE methodologies. These contrasting approaches result in varying degrees of HF impact on project timelines, quality, and risk levels. The dissertation’s results not only contribute to a deeper understanding of HF’s role in SDP but also provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners involved in software development projects. By elucidating the relationship between HF and different SDP methodologies, this research equips stakeholders with the knowledge needed to assess and mitigate software development risks.
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