Leading or Lagging? (A Questionnaire)

Abstract

A questionnaire is offered to help managers of computing centers evaluate where the industry is heading and how they relate to changing technologies and policies. The 20 sections and 261 questions on the questionnaire deal with methods, policies, and practices that are at or near the leading edge of practice in mid-1984. The questionnaire uses a 5-point scale with ''5'' meaning the item is a standard part of doing business and ''1'' meaning the practice is not used or does not exist at the firm. Sections include: 1. requirements and design methods, 2. code development, 3. purchased software evaluation, 4. database design and development, 5. technical information resources, 6. user documentation, 7. testing and test methodologies, 8. maintenance and enhancement, 9. security and disaster recovery, 10. communications across enterprises, 11. personnel policies and practices, and 12. emerging policies and practices.