An Empirical Assessment of the Stages of DP Growth

This study attempts to validate the stages of growth hypothesis by analyzing data concerning the benchmarks that were prescribed by Nolan [15]. Although the hypothesis was not validated using the entire set of benchmarks for each stage, individual benchmarks were related to various DP management issues. The joint relationship of user awareness and technology to various management issues was also assessed. In addition, the planning and control techniques that have been used in the stages of growth literature were factor analyzed. The factor groupings were compared with those groupings that the stages of growth idea associate respectively with early and late states of DP evolution.