Phased Implementation Design of the E-SETGO Framework in Real-World Software Development Projects: A Low Hanging Fruit Strategy for Higher Education Institutions

Filan Firmansyah (Universitas Diponegoro)
Dinar Mutiara Kusumo Nugraheni (Universitas Diponegoro)
Indra Waspada (Universitas Diponegoro)

Jurnal E-Komtek
Vol 10 No 1 (2026)

The information and communication technology (ICT) sector contributes approximately 4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with projections indicating a rise to 8% by 2030, a structural paradox given that software systems are simultaneously recognised as critical enablers for all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The E-SETGO framework, validated through expert consensus using Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio (CVR) with a nine-expert panel, provides 16 core and 8 conditional sustainable software development practices integrated across six Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phases, with a comprehensive SDG contribution mapping. However, a critical empirical gap persists: no published study has operationalised how these practices can be progressively adopted in real organisational contexts. This paper addresses that gap by proposing a phased implementation design grounded in the low hanging fruit principle, systematically prioritising practices with the lowest organisational adoption barriers for initial deployment. Employing Design Science Research (DSR) methodology, two complementary real-world software projects at Institut Teknologi PLN (ITPLN) are selected: the AMORA management information system serving as a maintenance-phase Learning Laboratory, and the Distance Learning (PJJ) Learning Management System serving as a green-field Main Case Study. A five-dimension Adoption Barrier Score (ABS) prioritisation matrix is developed across all 16 core practices, identifying P6.Org (Knowledge Retention), P1.Org (Sustainability Objectives and Champion) and P6.Soc (Continuous User Feedback) as universal immediate-adoption candidates with ABS scores of 1.0. A dual pilot strategy, 12-month phased implementation timeline, four validated data collection instruments, and a pre-mapped SDG contribution framework are designed for subsequent empirical validation. The design is projected to contribute to SDG 4, 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17 through direct and enabling contribution mechanisms.