Challenges in Incorporating Sustainability Practices in the Software Lifecycle

As software becomes more integral to daily life and business operations, its sustainability impact is increasing, and increasingly recognized. This study investigates the key challenges hindering stakeholders from adopting and implementing sustainability practices within organizations. To this aim, we interview 15 practitioners in two organizations to identify the challenges in sustainability adoption and implementation of sustainability practices in the daily workflow of software professionals. Our results highlight the practical challenges, recommendations, and benefits of implementing sustainability practices in real-world organizational settings. Lack of sustainability prioritization, knowledge awareness, measurement tools, scarce resources, and organizational culture are the key challenge areas. By balancing priorities, the investment in sustainability education and tool support coupled with cultural change and resource-rich incentivization programs can motivate practitioners to use sustainability practices. If so, organizations could save money and energy, improve overall productivity, and foster personal satisfaction.