LAUSR

Abstract A large number of business automation systems projects in developing countries fail. These projects typically begin with the analysis of clients’ needs using a process called “requirements engineering” (RE). The paper postulates that social complexity, especially in relation to power dynamics, loads important factors onto RE. Using data from Brazilian automation systems projects, factor analysis techniques are employed to confirm the importance of socio-political features of RE in these projects. The first contribution of this paper is to present empirical findings on RE complexity in a Latin American country, a region under-represented in the literature. Secondly, it explores critical social power features during RE. Results validate a complexity model which has received little attention in the systems development literature. The study demonstrates important social effects in automation projects in less developed regions and opens the way for further research into these effects thereby improving currently high failure rates.