Packaged software development teams: what makes them different?

An increasingly large number of software development teams develop packaged software rather than custom information systems (IS). We discuss the characteristics of packaged software versus IS development environments that capture the differences between the teams that develop software in these respective industries. Our analysis spans four levels: the industry, the dynamics of software development, the cultural milieu, and the teams themselves. Relative to IS the packaged software industry is characterized by: intense time pressures, less attention to costs, and different measures of success. Relative to IS the packaged software development environment is characterized by: being a Aline@ rather than Astaff@ unit, having a greater distance from the actual users/customers, a less mature development process, an integrated approach to design and development, and coordinated approach to design control rather consensus-building. Relative to IS the packaged software cultural milieu is characterized as individualistic and entrepreneurial. Relative to IS the packaged software team is characterized as: less likely to be matrix managed, having members involved in more phases of the development cycle, more cohesive, "jelled," having more opportunities for financial rewards, smaller, more co-located, with a greater shared vision.