Abstract:

Today, a large number of companies from different commodity sectors are developing software. From the “one-man-band” company to the larger international manufacturer, they develop very different software and very differently in terms of markets, products, technologies, and of course outcomes. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a group of those. Following a commonly accepted definition, a SME is a company with a number of employee ranging from 1 to 500 people. Compared to Large Enterprises (LEs) where people are several thousands, it turns to be just a bonsai compared to an oak. But the definition of SME just recalled it is not very accurate for companies wherein developing software is part of the main business. To be more specific, let’s consider software projects as a meter: we consider a SME when the average of in-house software projects developed, or in progress to be developed, during one year ranges from 1 to 10 software projects.