Risk identification associated with the software development process for social program providers: the case of the Brazilian Social Program Alfa.
Software development, Risk management, SEI Taxonomy, Social Programs, Case study.
The development of software in governmental contexts, particularly for social programs, faces challenges that emphasize the importance of risk management to better ensure success and the effective delivery of services to the population. The general objective of this research is to identify the main risks associated with the stages of the software development process for providers of the Brazilian Social Program Alfa. The research, descriptive and applied in nature, adopts a qualitative approach, using a case study as the methodological strategy. The collected data include interviews with developers, architects, project managers, complemented by the collection of internal documents from Company Alfa. The data treatment covered document analysis and content analysis, considering 64 attributes, 13 class elements, and 3 classes described in the hierarchical risk taxonomy proposed by the Software Engineering Institute - SEI. After detailing the phases of software development for providers of the said social program, the main results of the analyses allowed the identification of 39 attributes, with 17 linked to the 'Product Engineering' class, 12 linked to the 'Development Environment' class, and 10 linked to the 'Program Constraints' class. The examination of the identified attributes emphasized the 'Program Constraints' class, showing the influence of external factors on the software development process, in line with findings from previous studies. Additionally, the analyses allowed the detailing of attributes according to class elements, highlighting the 'Schedule' attribute, linked to the 'Resources' class element. This work contributes to the field of risk management and software engineering, offering evidence on the use of attributes that can help identify risks in the process of developing software for social programs and highlighting the importance of risk identification that considers the specificities of each stage of software development. The results can also contribute to reflections on risk management in software development processes for social programs in the country.