Closing the open loop

Abstract

Aligning a software product with the end user’s wishes is an important factor that determines a software producing company’s success. Shortcomings of current methods that attempt to align user value with software products by using research and development as an experiment system triggers the need for a method that truly aligns the software product with the wishes of the end user/customer. In this thesis, the “Learning as an Organization to Optimize the Product” (LOOP) method is proposed. The design science framework is applied to create the LOOP method, which is subsequently evaluated by means of a case study. One iteration of the method is executed in this case study. The evaluation of this case study indicates that the LOOP method is effective in providing the information needed to align a software product with the end user’s/customer’s values on a short-term period, and most likely, also actuates learning to make better product decisions on the long-term. The evaluation on feasibility concerning the LOOP method indicates that the method is scalable but is possibly not suited for companies with limited resources or a small user base. A longitudinal study to validate the LOOP method’s intended effects over multiple iterations on the long term and in different contexts is suggested as a future study.