Time as Factor in Software Project Development: Necessary Evil

Time is addressed differently by different people and cultures; for example, in western culture, time is mainly associated with financial profit, i.e., ‘‘Time is money.’’ Time plays a special role in software engineering: the project schedule should be met, the product should be delivered on time, and teammates should complete their tasks on time, and so on. This paper deals with how the time concept is expressed in software engineering in general and in conventional software development in particular. In conventional software development time is boxed for each activity, and when needed, instead of ‘‘moving’’ deadlines, the scope is changed according to customer priorities. This conception is supported by conventional software development methods in different ways that not only enable one to work at a sustainable pace, but that also result in high quality products.