1. ¹Department of Computer Science University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
2. ²Department of Information Systems, The Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
3. ³Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
4. ⁴HIS R&D Unit, Computing Centre, University of Kuopio, Finland

Correspondence: Anja Mursu, Department of Computer Science, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. Tel: +358 17 163 521; Fax: +358 17 162 595; E-mail: anja.mursu@uku.fi

Received 17 September 2001; Revised 6 August 2002; Accepted 20 May 2003.

Abstract

We report a study where software project risk factors were solicited in Nigeria. The study repeats a research design, which has been used in a Delphi study in the U.S., Finland, and Hong Kong to rank software development risks. The study produces a rank-order list of software risk factors and compares results with the earlier study, showing significant differences. Obtained rankings signal the importance of the infrastructure related and socio-economic software risks in developing countries like Nigeria. This demonstrates the importance of understanding the broader socio-economic context in identifying and managing software risks. The study also shows that some risks in Nigeria are located on a different scale. The choice of contingent mitigation strategies of project managers play a less important role, because the risks are so deeply engrained with the poor quality of basic infrastructure services.