Software Industry Research Articles

A framework for software vendor selection by applying Inconsistency and Conflict Removal (ICR) method

In a software ecosystem, companies’ stakeholders make various decisions and perform various tasks to ensure the strategic and architectural goals of the company. Analyzing vendor capabilities and making decisions to select software vendors requires expert professionals. To analyze vendors’ capabilities and accessing them according to the company’s strategic and architectural goals is presently an ad-hoc and manual process. Presently, there is no systematic process for ‘vendor analysis and selection’ specifically for the software industry. Therefore, this study introduces a novel framework which elaborates all the tasks required for vendor proposal evaluation. It also includes the automatic detection of inconsistencies and conflicts prevalent during this process. A new method called ‘Inconsistency and Conflict Removal (ICR)’ is proposed as part of this framework. ICR automates the process of spotting inconsistencies and conflicts by taking scores of vendor capabilities as input reported by different decision-makers. Further, to illustrate this framework, ‘a case of Hospital’ has been considered. This study provides valuable knowledge that would facilitate organizations in software vendor selection. It will lead to substantial savings in terms of economics, such as actual costs, time, and improved administrative processes.

Research on the Aided Design System of Linear Conveyor Equipment based on Haochen CAD

In the design process of linear conveyors, in order to ensure the accuracy of the specifications and dimensions of each product, a large amount of drawing design work is required. In order to improve drawing efficiency and reduce human errors, this paper designs a parametric auxiliary design system for linear conveyors. By organizing and analyzing the non-standard size change rules of aviation logistics transportation equipment, and based on the .net4.8 framework, using C# language for secondary development of CAD software, in response to the call for national industrial software localization, this study selected the domestic CAD software Haochen CAD as the platform. Through system testing, this system can quickly generate non-standard part drawings through parameter input, improving drawing efficiency while reducing drawing error rates.

On the impact of event-driven architecture on performance: An exploratory study

Event-driven architecture has been widely adopted in the software industry in recent years. This adoption is motivated by the increase in software modularity, and mainly the desired performance of decomposed monolithic applications. Although it has become popular, the current literature lacks studies that demonstrate the impact of event-driven architecture on performance. Hence, developers and architects end up adopting event-driven architecture without empirical evidence, but considering “expert advice.” This study, therefore, reports an empirical study on the impact of the adoption of event-driven architecture on performance. For this, the performance of an application implemented with an event-based architecture was compared with the performance of the same application implemented using a monolithic architecture. The comparison was made using metrics such as CPU usage, memory, response time, throughput, and total packages sent and received. The results, supported by statistical tests, show that the monolithic architecture, compared to the event-driven architecture, consumes less computational resources and has better response times. Finally, this study reflects on the adoption of event-driven architecture, as well as points out challenges and implications that need to be considered by the scientific community in future research.

Assessing the Impact of a Hybrid Work Model on Job Execution, Work-Life Balance, and Employee Satisfaction in a Technology Company

This study delves into the hybrid work model, focusing on the perspectives and experiences of employees within a Quezon City-based Technology Company specializing in industrial software and engineering. It contributes to the organization's goal of being a "Great Place to Work" by adapting to change while valuing well-being. The organization is deeply dedicated to creating a workplace where employee well-being, career growth, and overall happiness are top priorities. The study surveyed 354 employees to understand the impact of the hybrid work paradigm on individual and team deliverables. The study found that 84.4% of respondents believed the hybrid work model was effective in various ways. This includes job execution and teamwork, work-life balance and satisfaction, communication and collaboration, and overall experience. The survey result showed that the model is widely praised for its flexibility, improving work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Respondents agree that the hybrid model balances professional and personal well-being despite managerial expectations and workloads. The study also emphasizes the importance of communication in hybrid work teamwork. The research recognizes the benefits of remote communication tools but stresses the importance of face-to-face interactions, collaborative engagements, and team dynamics. The result of this study can be used to bring in new ideas and potential growth for the company, allowing it to develop innovative strategies and improve employee satisfaction. Embracing the concept of the hybrid work setup is a catalyst for success and ensures the well-being of all stakeholders.

Towards Automation of the FORM/BCS Method

The software industry is facing more complex computer systems, with short development and sustainability issues. To deliver good software with these constraints, software reuse has become a central concept for minimizing design and realization costs. This study improves upon Feature-Oriented Reuse Method with Business Component Semantics (FORM/BCS), a software development method that produces adaptable architectures from reusable domain components. This is a promising method for reusable software assets and model creation. The objective of the FORM/BCS is to bring the industrial production chain to the software. This study proposes a model to automatically transform the FORM/BCS business subsystem component into a process business component. Two metamodels for business subsystems and process business components were developed. In addition, this study establishes correspondences between the source metamodel and target metamodel classes, transformation rules, and the instance of the source metamodel and generates the target metamodel instance. Detailed findings can help practitioners reduce software design costs and development time, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in software engineering.

Transfer Learning based Low Shot Classifier for Software Defect Prediction

Background: The rapid growth and increasing complexity of software applications are causing challenges in maintaining software quality within constraints of time and resources. This challenge led to the emergence of a new field of study known as Software Defect Prediction (SDP), which focuses on predicting future defect in advance, thereby reducing costs and improving productivity in software industry. Objective: This study aimed to address data distribution disparities when applying transfer learning in multi-project scenarios, and to mitigate performance issues resulting from data scarcity in SDP. Methods: The proposed approach, namely Transfer Learning based Low Shot Classifier (TLLSC), combined transfer learning and low shot learning approaches to create an SDP model. This model was designed for application in both new projects and those with minimal historical defect data. Results: Experiments were conducted using standard datasets from projects within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Software Research Laboratory (SOFTLAB) repository. TLLSC showed an average increase in F1-Measure of 31.22%, 27.66%, and 27.54% for project AR3, AR4, and AR5, respectively. These results surpassed those from Transfer Component Analysis (TCA+), Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA+), and Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis plus (KCCA+). Conclusion: The results of the comparison between TLLSC and state-of-the-art algorithms, namely TCA+, CCA+, and KCCA+ from the existing literature consistently showed that TLLSC performed better in terms of F1-Measure. Keywords: Just-in-time, Defect Prediction, Deep Learning, Transfer Learning, Low Shot Learning

Comparative Analysis of Performance Management Systems in the Softare Industry: A Study across Public and Private Sectors

While steering organizational objectives, the performance management system involves overseeing employees, commencing with the allocation of duties and responsibilities. Nowadays, employees strive to swiftly advance their careers, prompting organizations to offer developmental opportunities to attract and retain talent. In the software industry, organizational success hinges on the efficient and effective contributions of employees, a balance upheld by an adept performance management system. Serving as a crucial tool, this system ensures organizational triumph by cultivating employees to meet both individual and collective goals. The current study seeks to discern variations in the performance management systems of public and private sector software organizations.

ECS-Grid: Data-Oriented Real-Time Simulation Platform for Cyber-Physical Power Systems

ECS-Grid is the first data-oriented real-time electromagnetic transient simulation platform for cyber-physical power systems (CPPS). Traditional simulation tools are constrained by object-oriented programming (OOP) architecture, which is now a significant obstruction to creating a comprehensive cyber-physical simulation. Therefore, the proposed ECS-Grid platform follows a new data-oriented paradigm based on an Entity-Component-System (ECS) framework, which delivers higher flexibility, extensibility, scalability, and performance to support cyber-physical system research. ECS-Grid proposes a layer of virtual intelligent electronic devices (vIEDs) to model IEDs in CPPSs. The vIEDs directly talk to physical components and communicate asynchronously with cyber services via the proposed high-performance JSON-like binary protocol. Tests with the islanding and the man-in-the-middle cyber attack scenarios on a 711-node AC-DC microgrid cluster based on a modified CIGRE 15-Bus system are performed and give accurate results. A faster-than-real-time performance is achieved on the 10th Gen Intel <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">®</sup> Core <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">TM</sup> i7 computer, and real-time performance is achieved on distributed embedded NVIDIA <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">®</sup> Jetson platform. The ECS-Grid design and test results demonstrate the potential of the ECS data-oriented paradigm and may inspire the renovation of industrial simulation software.

Initial training in design of computer programs using UML

Introduction. Design is commonly acknowledged as a key process in the life cycle of computer programs and softwareintensive systems. The process efficaciously reveals creative capabilities of the author programmer and predetermines the basic advantages as well as shortcomings of the resulting program product, service or system. Design automation and other kinds of its support have been emerged simultaneously with onset of the software industry. From the beginning of the century the MDA (Model Driven Architecture) approach grew famous, offering to comprehend a design of a program as a process of sequential transformation of the program’s models, represented in UML or in other languages related to UML. Without becoming dominant, the MDA approach successfully evolves inside of a broader approach called MDE (Model Driven Engineering). Mastering UML and understanding of its role in MDE appears to be a prerequisite for a seamless entering of a professional programmer into domain of engineering of program systems. This provision justifies an increased attention to methods of UML teaching and to peculiarities of UML learning, and, moreover, to the professional education in the area of programs and program systems design technologies. This paper is aimed to draw attentions to challenges of the initial training in UML and tackle the challenges contributing a methodology and tools for sake of fostering the quality of education in program design. Materials and methods. The research is based on the university syllabi, the author’s lecture notes on software engineering, reports on laboratory works and course papers, protocols of experimental and sample runs of the developed programs, scientific publications, including pedagogical and engineering periodicals, conference materials, Internet resources, such as sites of the ACM, the OMG and others. The following research methods were used: system analysis of the own experience in program design as well as experience remarkable in student’s works; theoretical conceptual modelling of the program design including modelling of design scenarios; a trial implementation of the developed algorithms. Research results. A conceptual cognitive model of design as of a process during program development is proposed, highlighting the designer’s behavior when dealing with project artefacts. Feasible scenarios of analytic and advisory intervention into the design process are specified, using the model. A sample architecture of a program tool suitable for such an intervention is proposed as well as algorithms that enable online critical evaluation of the project’s current state, prompting feasible tracks of the project’s evolvement, revealing designer’s ideas and pointing some UML misuse. The algorithms are built in a program tool named Procrust that implements the proposed architecture. Trials of Procrust show that it basically fits to primary training of software design using UML and, in particular, to a training in the MDA/MDE methodology. Conclusion. The research results enable to set up an environment for comfortable and efficient program design using UML due to employing the proposed analytic and advisory support of the design process. Algorithms of the support and supporting program tools are targeted at initial design training on curricula of higher school and secondary vocational education. The algorithms foster in-depth study of UML and acquiring of advanced software design skills.

Designing a conceptual green process model in software development: A mixed method approach

The primary objective of this research is to propose a green process model for software development. The study employed a mixed-method approach, incorporating the interpretive paradigm in the initial stage and the positivist paradigm in the subsequent stage. The research methodology encompassed a systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, and interviews with academic and industry experts. A conceptual model was proposed, and corresponding hypotheses were derived. The hypotheses were subsequently tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, aided by SmartPLS software. The dataset consisted of responses from 200 participants who completed the designed questionnaire. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using Maxqda2020 software. The collected data underwent both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for analysis purposes.The findings revealed that five key factors, namely "Green readiness," "infrastructure," "methods," "tools," and "emerging trends," Exhibited a noteworthy and favorable impact on green software processes. Furthermore, the variables "tools," "infrastructure," and "emerging trends" were identified as partial mediating factors. Additionally, the dimensions of green readiness, which encompassed "governance," "strategy," "policies," "monitoring," and "stakeholders," were validated and recognized. The findings of this study provide valuable insights to organizations involved in software development, offering a holistic understanding of the importance and interrelationships among the main dimensions of green process modeling. By considering these findings, organizations can enhance their approaches to developing environmentally sustainable software. This study's main contribution is in the context of the software industry.

Gear Transmission System Based on Cloud Platform

Based on the Amazon cloud platform, the development and application scenarios of industrial software for gear transmission systems are introduced. Taking the geometric dimension calculation transmission with involute cylindrical gear as an example, the design idea, development process and system architecture design of the transmission design software based on the cloud platform are expounded. Results show that the developed software of transmission system design based on the cloud platform can meet the requirements of accurate calculation, fast response and operation.

Use Cases are Essential

While the software industry is a fast-paced and exciting world in which new tools, technologies, and techniques are constantly being developed to serve business and society, it is also forgetful. In its haste for fast-forward motion, it is subject to the whims of fashion and can forget or ignore proven solutions to some of the eternal problems that it faces. Use cases, first introduced in 1986 and popularized later, are one of those proven solutions. Ivar Jacobson and Alistair Cockburn, the two primary actors in this domain, are writing this article to describe to a new generation what use cases are and how they serve.

Who Let These Human Resources Out: Interesting Vs Disgusting: A Comparative Study of Corporate Human Resources Stimulating Mahabharata Characters

Purpose: Who can say that history never repeats itself? It happens every day in the workspace. Before the IT frenzy, the corporate types were ordinary people like you and me, but the software segment influx, like the computer virus, has infected these human resources too. Human resources are always interesting, but when these interesting are out of control they are always disgusting and dealing with these disgusting human resources is always interesting. Yes, the researcher’s paper gives an overview of interesting vs disgusting human resources that have remarked it’s a jungle out there in the corporate zoo that has increased manifold with the software industry now in other industries too. The paper brings a fact and findings of who let these human resources out: interesting vs. disgusting. Objective: The researchers have agreed on the following primary objectives and the present study explores 2 broad research questions: (1) To examine corporate human resources with Mahabharata characters. (2) To evaluate corporate life vs Mahabharata characters. Design/Methodology/Approach: The current study is based on primary and secondary proof. The hypotheses were framed for the selected variables and thus examined to prove or disprove the hypothesis without any errors. Findings/Results: The researchers draw lessons from the epic story and highlight the similarity of corporate human resources with Mahabharata characters. In the end, researchers consider these stimulating characters as an edge. Thus, interesting or disgusting human resources have to be valued and considered as a valuable asset of every corporate zoo. Human resources are necessary devils who are at the heart of all functions. It is said that it is the man behind the machine who makes all the difference between success and failure. Research Limitations/Implications: The very edifice of human resources is built of delicate bricks of humane considerations and psychological approaches. It is a technique for dealing with life and brain but not with plants, machinery or buildings. Originality/New Knowledge/Interpretation/Value: Consequently, it can be aforementioned if we apply the best human resources of Mahabharata characters in the best possible practices of Management, we will have fresh associates &amp; can function better in the upcoming years and make the organization &amp; team glare and function better in the years to come. Paper Type: The study is based on primary &amp; secondary evidence.

A Study of Challenges and Recommendations for Teaching: DevOps Education

DevOps has gained significant popularity in the software industry due to its ability to enhance collaboration, improve software delivery, and drive organizational agility. However, providing effective education and training in DevOps poses several Issue. This research paper presents an interview study conducted with a seasoned DevOps professional to explore the challenges faced in DevOps education and provide recommendations for addressing these challenges. The study highlights the evolving nature of the DevOps landscape, the interdisciplinary nature of DevOps, and the need for hands-on learning experiences. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of continuous curriculum updates, practical exercises, cross-functional collaboration, industry partnerships, and fostering a continuous learning mindset. The findings from this study contribute to the understanding of the unique challenges and recommendations for improving DevOps education.

Database management system performance comparisons: A systematic literature review

Efficiency has been a pivotal aspect of the software industry since its inception, as a system that serves the end-user fast, and the service provider cost-efficiently benefits all parties. A database management system (DBMS) is an integral part of effectively all software systems, and therefore it is logical that different studies have compared the performance of different DBMSs in hopes of finding the most efficient one. This study systematically synthesizes the results and approaches of studies that compare DBMS performance and provides recommendations for industry and research. The results show that performance is usually tested in a way that does not reflect real-world use cases, and that tests are typically reported in insufficient detail for replication or for drawing conclusions from the stated results.

Proposed Secure Hypertext Model in Web Engineering

Secure web application development is one of the prime challenges for the software industry. In the last decade, web applications have rapidly developed but web engineering methods have some limitations while designing web applications. The extensive literature survey explores various concepts like web engineering, hypertext modelling, web applications hypertext modelling methods, attacks on web applications, same origin policy (SOP) and cross origin resource sharing (CORS). The complexity of web pages is a major concern for security. The proposed secure hypertext model (SHM) provides hypertext modelling of web applications and helps in the identification of attacks on hypertext links. It provides security stereotypes and precisely specifies vulnerability defences in web application design. This standardized attack vector and defence mechanism will help developers to build more secure applications.

Employee Retention Strategies at Selected IT Organisations, Hyderabad

Innovative, efficient and effective strategies of an organisation to retain their best talents are called employee retention strategies; a voluntary attrition is a dysfunctional employee turnover where the best employees of an organisation leave the organisation voluntarily. In the present day scenario voluntary attrition is termed as the great resignation [1] in the Information Technology (IT) sector, this great attrition has continued since 2020 and is predicted to continue till 2025 so employee retention has become a challenging task for IT sectors to retain their best talents. Every organisation to gain competitive advantage should follow the best retention strategies. At the end of the Year 2022, software industries recorded an average of 20 to 25% [2] attrition rate which is the highest record that the IT sector has ever seen in the past 10 years and now in the year 2023 it is 17-18% on average in June quarter and is even predicted to continue in the recession period in top IT industries called Brain drain, so tracking the great talent exodus in IT sector has become a critical and ongoing challenge for the IT industries. This paper empirically reviews the various available reviews of literature and research work already done and this paper also reveals that in addition to monetary benefits there are many other retention strategies to retain the best talents. This paper also studies the perception of employees on employee retention strategies and the relationship between demographic factors like gender, age and experience towards employee retention strategies. The data was collected from 100 employees by convenience sampling procedure and the statistical tools like percentage, mean, regression analysis and ANOVA techniques have been used for data analysis. It has been observed that there is a significant difference between the age of employees and intention to stay and there is a significant impact of retention strategies on the intention of the employee to stay back in the organisation. Each employee is unique in terms of their perception towards employee retention strategies. A strong employee value proposition (EVP) can act as the best retention mantra.

A review on statistical language and neural network based code completion

Code completion, also referred to as intellisense, is a prevalent feature of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and code editors. It aids developers by automatically recommending and inserting code segments, variable names, and method names, among other things. With the accelerated growth of the software industry and the process of digitalization in recent years, the demand for software engineers has reached a record-high level. Thus, the advancement of code completion is encouraged and has become a popular topic in software engineering. This paper examines and summarizes the development of a statistical language and neural network-based code completion system. The main contents consist of introducing the concepts of code completion system, summarizing the general process of code completion and the evaluation metrics used for performance benchmarking, reviewing and summarizing the existing work conducted on statistical language approach and neural network approach respectively, as well as the limitations and challenges of existing code completion method, and finally forecasting the future development of code completion techniques.

The effects of required security on software development effort

The software industry has been under pressure to adopt security practices and reduce software vulnerabilities. But despite recognizing the importance of secure software development, such practices have not been broadly embraced. Costs are frequently pointed out as a barrier, although studies show that there is a lack of knowledge about the amount of resources needed to achieve a determined level of security assurance. This study quantifies the effort required to develop secure software in increasing levels of rigor and scope. We first developed an ordinal scale to quantify the degree of application of security practices. Next, we built a statistical cost model based on a data set with 1140 maintenance projects from two large companies. The model calibration revealed that the application of software security practices can impact the cost estimations ranging from 19% additional effort, on the first level of the scale, to 102% additional effort, on the highest level of the scale. These results suggest that the effort required to develop secure software is lower than it was estimated in previous studies, especially when considering the domain of Information Systems. This research builds on previous works on cost models for secure software development and goes one step further by providing empirical validation. The resulting model can be used by practitioners to estimate proper resources for adopting security practices. Additionally, the validated cost multipliers are an important piece of information for the research on secure software development investment models.

Enhancing US Software Companies' Competitive Edge with Agile Project Management

The primary purpose of this study was to examine how the adoption of Agile Project Management practices can help US-based software companies gain a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving global marketplace. With ever-increasing customer demands and changing technology landscapes, it was crucial to assess whether agile methodologies could effectively address these challenges. The software industry in the USA faced challenges related to project delays, cost overruns, and difficulties in responding to changing customer requirements. Traditional project management approaches often proved inadequate in such dynamic environments. The study aimed to determine whether Agile Project Management could mitigate these issues and improve competitiveness. The research employed a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected through surveys distributed to software companies implementing agile practices. Qualitative insights were gathered through in-depth interviews with industry experts. Data analysis involved statistical techniques for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings revealed that Agile Project Management significantly improved software development processes. Agile adoption also fostered better collaboration among cross-functional teams. Moreover, Agile practices positively impacted software quality and customer satisfaction, ultimately contributing to a competitive edge. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that Agile Project Management has a substantial positive impact on the competitiveness of US-based software companies. To enhance competitiveness, it is recommended that US software companies consider the adoption of Agile Project Management practices. Additionally, organizations should invest in training and cultural changes to facilitate a smooth transition to agile methodologies. Continuous improvement and alignment with agile principles are essential for sustained competitiveness. Keywords. Agile Project Management, Software Development, Competitiveness, Customer-Centric, US Software Companies