Ecosystems effects on software-consuming organizations: an experience report on two observational studies

Software engineers should have the ability to abstract the complexity of a whole system composed of products, demands and suppliers emerging from an interconnected network termed a software ecosystem (SECO). Since software suppliers resort to virtual integration, software-consuming organizations face difficulties performing IT management activities and analyzing what application or technology enter their SECO. In this context, the `silent' effects of nontechnical factors give rise to serious long-term problems, e.g., low productivity, investment loss, financial crisis, or bankruptcy. This paper presents an investigation of SECO effects on software-consuming organizations performing IT management activities in real settings. IT management teams have regular meetings to deliberate on acquisition decisions which they base on experience and IT market recommendations, including spreadsheets and distributed documents. Analysis of the decision space, business objective synergy, and technology/supplier dependency are identified as the most critical health indicators for SECO platform monitoring in IT management activities. This highlights the critical role acquisition preparation plays in the SECO context.