Identifying patterns of software acquisition projects through the application of the MECT method

This paper presents the application of a method originally designed for the taxonomy construction, in order to formalize the identification of patterns of software acquisition projects. For this investigation, a pattern is a type of acquisition project, which has unique and identifiable characteristics, which influence or determine the control strategies or techniques to be applied to ensure its successful implementation. As a result of applying the method, nine patterns have been identified based on the following criteria: type of product that is acquired, methodologies used for product development, adaptability of the product acquired, and the relationship between the customer who purchases and the development team. It is hoped that using these patterns identified, researchers in the area of software acquisition, they can develop proposals tailored to the specific characteristics of each pattern.