Software Development Project Management Research Articles

Enhancing team collaboration through integrating social interactions in a Web‐based development environment

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the design and evaluation of a Web‐based collaborative learning environment called EduCo for learning and practicing team‐based exercises in computer science and software engineering courses. EduCo's defining characteristic is integrating a number of services for software development activities, for example, project management, requirements engineering, design, and programming into integrated shared workspaces with social‐networking facilities to enhance collaboration among students and instructors. We conducted a controlled experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the system in doing a three‐iteration programming project. A total of 126 second‐year students who attended an object‐oriented programming course participated in the experiment. The results show that while the system was not found to affect student programming performance, it improved student engagement and satisfaction when working in teams. These results imply that the system's shared workspaces and social‐networking services have the potential to enhance learning outcomes of students working in teams when these features are integrated into collaborative learning environments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 24:529–545, 2016; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21729

Re-UCP Software Effort Estimation Method: A Critical Study

Effort Estimation process is one the most important process in software project management. The importance of software in our daily lives is increasing with every passing day which has resulted in increase in the complexity of softwares. In order to manage software development projects with varying levels of complexity accurate software effort estimations play a pivotal role. This research work is an attempt to analyze the performance of Re-UCP method of software effort estimation based on the inputs from software industry and academia from India and abroad. This research work is an effort to find out the relevance of modifications made in Re-UCP model of software effort estimation from industrial perspective. This paper gives an insight into the responses received from consultants, cost- estimators, software engineers and researchers from academia after implementing Re-UCP effort estimation method in the their respective domains. KeywordsEffort Estimation, Software effort validation, Re- UCP, E-UCP, UCP, iUCP.

A MODEL FOR TEACHING SPEAKING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (INFORMATION SECURITY) USING BUSINESS GAME

While teaching English for specific purposes (ESP) at the university, it is important to find the ways to increase students’ intrinsic motivation, so that they understood why it is important for them to learn the foreign language and how they might use their communication skills at work. A model of teaching English using business game developed for students whose speciality is connected with information technologies (IT) and information security is analysed in the article. The model is based on task-based learning and interdisciplinary connections of different cycle disciplines: “English for specific purposes” and “Information security quality assurance technologies”, thus providing situations that might occur in students’ professional life. The business game, which includes simulation of eight business meetings adapted from Agile software development methodologies and project management framework Scrum, was implemented in teaching English for specific purposes to third year students of the institute of physics and technology, National technical university of Ukraine “Kyiv polytechnic institute”. The article outlines the stages of the business game (preparation, business game itself and feedback) and its framework. Procedure of calculating time allotted to the business game is described and justified.

프로젝트 관리 시스템에 관한 연구

Abstract Nowadays, because IT market expansion and complexity has been progressing and competition has intensified, there is a growth of information system building industries having difficulty through traditional business management methods. A survey was conducted among site personnel (Project Manager PM and Project Participants) to generate an institutional framework to efficiently manage this and project management process support. Through this, the importance of element technology and fragility of software development project management must be understood and an improvement of the element technology must be generated. By using this, a very relevant result that presented a logical basis was obtained in the decision making of the importance of project management and the role of overall project manager and core project management fields.Key Words : Business Information Services, Business Management System, Project Manager, Software Provider, Project Management * 이 논문은 2013년 공주대학교 학술연구지원사업의 연구비지원에 의하여 연구되었음Received 22 November 2014, Revised 24 December 2014Accepted 20 January 2015Corresponding Author: Koo-Rack Park (Kongju National University)Email: ecgrpark@kongju.ac.krⒸ The Society of Digital Policy & Management. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is ISSN: 1738-1916 properly cited.

Scrum Method Implementation in a Software Development Project Management

To maximize the performance, companies conduct a variety of ways to increase the business profit. The work management between one company and the other company is different, so the differences in the management may cause the software to have a different business process. Software development can be defined as creating a new software or fixing the existing one. Technology developments led to increasing demand for software, Industrial Technology (IT) Companies should be able to project well maintenance. The methodology in software development is used in accordance with the company's needs based on the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). Scrum method is a part of the Agile method that is expected to increase the speed and flexibility in software development project management.

Hybrid Approach in Project Management – Mixing Capability Maturity Model Integration with Agile Practices

This paper introduces an idea of hybrid approach in managing software development projects. The main goal of this research is to prove that it is possible to design a consistent method for managing software development projects which is based on different corporate standards and methods. The authors also want to show that this new hybrid approach is beneficial for IT organization, triggers synergy effects and brings software development process to a higher level, impossible to achieve when methodologies and standards are used separately. This paper discusses an exemplary implementation of hybrid management process which is based on CMMI and Scrum. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.85.3.8416

Flexibilidade no desenvolvimento de software: a percepção de gerentes de projeto de Aracaju/SE

Os gerentes de projetos de desenvolvimento de software precisam cada vez mais lidar com fatores como a competição, demanda por qualidade, menores ciclos de vida de produtos e mudanças tecnológicas constantes no mercado. Com o propósito de contribuir para tal discussão, esta pesquisa investiga como as características de flexibilidade são percebidas por gerentes de projetos no desenvolvimento de software através da caracterização dos modelos de processos de desenvolvimento de software adotados no contexto estudado, assim como no destaque de elementos de flexibilidade nestes processos. A metodologia teve caráter exploratório, descritivo e qualitativo e adotou-se a estratégia de pesquisa estudo de casos múltiplos, na qual os casos foram caracterizados pelos processos de desenvolvimento de software e, como fonte de evidências, escolheram-se os gestores de projetos de software que atuam em empresas de Aracaju há mais de cinco anos na função, por considerar que estes profissionais possuem uma visão mais abrangente do processo de desenvolvimento de tais sistemas. Como resultados obtidos, os gerentes de projetos, apesar de focarem nos aspectos técnicos do processo de desenvolvimento de software, associam o nível de sucesso do projeto a outros fatores, tais como a flexibilidade com relação ao cliente, nos grupos de trabalho e no processo de desenvolvimento.

The impact of Software Process Maturity on Software Project Performance: The Contingent Role of Software Development Risk

Despite growing efforts to improve software development processes, recurring concerns about software project performance remain largely present. The rate of software development project failure rate has been routinely documented in information systems (IS) research (Wallace, 2004; El-Masry and Rivard, 2010). The management of software development projects is often marked by inadequate planning, a poor grasp of the overall development process, and no clear management framework, even as the focus in software development shifts from a technology perspective to a more process-centric view (Slaughter, 2006). To address such concerns few CMM-based studies have examined the benefits and direct impact of software process maturity on software project performance but with mixed results. The present paper attempts to systematically examine the contingent role of software development risk on the impact of software process maturity level on software project performance. Guided by risk-based perspective in Software Engineering and CMM-based framework, an exploratory model was developed and tested. The premise of this paper is that software development risk plays a contingent role in the relationship between software process maturity and software project performance. Drawing on a sample of 107 organizations that have undergone official CMM appraisals, the results of partial least squares analysis of the data reveal initial evidence that (1) a positive effect of software process maturity level on software project performance while underscoring the negative effect of software development risk on software project performance, and (2) more importantly, the findings show that software development risk plays a contingent role software process maturity level on software project performance. For researchers, the integration of software development risk can provide a much needed linkage in the three fundamental constructs of CMM. From a managerial perspective, in order to foster a better software project performance, IS project leaders and managers should strongly emphasize devising effective software development risk assessment since a variation of this construct’s level may strengthen or weaken the relationship between software development process maturity and software project performance.

Interval Estimation Method for Decision Making in Wavelet-Based Software Reliability Assessment

Recently, the wavelet-based estimation method has gradually been becoming popular as a new tool for software reliability assessment. The wavelet transform possesses both spatial and temporal resolution which makes the wavelet-based estimation method powerful in extracting necessary information from observed software fault data, in global and local points of view at the same time. This enables us to estimate the software reliability measures in higher accuracy. However, in the existing works, only the point estimation of the wavelet-based approach was focused, where the underlying stochastic process to describe the software-fault detection phenomena was modeled by a non-homogeneous Poisson process. In this paper, we propose an interval estimation method for the wavelet-based approach, aiming at taking account of uncertainty which was left out of consideration in point estimation. More specifically, we employ the simulation-based bootstrap method, and derive the confidence intervals of software reliability measures such as the software intensity function and the expected cumulative number of software faults. To this end, we extend the well-known thinning algorithm for the purpose of generating multiple sample data from one set of software-fault count data. The results of numerical analysis with real software fault data make it clear that, our proposal is a decision support method which enables the practitioners to do flexible decision making in software development project management.

Performance appraisal of software testers

ContextTo determine the effectiveness of software testers a suitable performance appraisal approach is necessary, both for research and practice purposes. However, review of relevant literature reveals little information of how software testers are appraised in practice. Objective(i) To enhance our knowledge of industry practice of performance appraisal of software testers and (ii) to collect feedback from project managers on a proposed performance appraisal form for software testers. MethodA web-based survey with questionnaire was used to collect responses. Participants were recruited using cluster and snowball sampling. 18 software development project managers participated. ResultsWe found two broad trends in performance appraisal of software testers – same employee appraisal process for all employees and a specialized performance appraisal method for software testers. Detailed opinions were collected and analyzed on how performance of software testers should be appraised. Our proposed appraisal approach was generally well-received. ConclusionFactors such as number of bugs found after delivery and efficiency of executing test cases were considered important in appraising software testers’ performance. Our proposed approach was refined based on the feedback received.

Research on Software Product Development Project Management

Project organization and management software development project management model is the best form of software development enterprises in China's understanding of software development project management has been greatly improved. Traditional software development projects have different characteristics, therefore how flexible application for software project management theory and strategies of the main research objectives of domestic software development project management. Our software in enterprise application software development project management, general shortcomings in implementation, this article on software research and development analysis and project management of implementation strategies.

Project Management Success I-C-E Model – A Work in Progress

Project management in software development has shown high rates of failure since the beginning of computation. Over the last years, several studies have sought and proposed solutions for this problem by focusing, for instance, on success critical aspects and evaluation criteria. Although these efforts have provided a significant evolution in how the work is done, project management success rates are in fact still well below the desirable values. This paper presents a work-in-progress based on an integrated approach to project management success and proposes a model that considers jointly the set of success influencers, project characteristics and evaluation criteria of success, from the initiation of a project until its closure.

Elección de una Metodología de Desarrollo a partir de las Ventajas de una Metodología Ágil y un Modelo Robusto como CMMI-DEV 1.3


 La competitividad de las organizaciones de desarrollo de software exigen el conocimiento de las diferentes metodologías existentes en el mercado, para así adoptar la que conlleve al éxito en la culminación del proyecto teniendo en cuenta las condiciones de calidad propuestas para un producto de software. Por esta razón, este artículo hace un recorrido por los avances en la gestión de proyectos de desarrollo de software, utilizando una metodología ágil y los quehan aplicado el modelo CMMI-DEV, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional.
 

Empirical Study of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Ensemble Models for Software Development Effort Estimation

Accurate estimation of software development effort is essential for effective management and control of software development projects. Many software effort estimation methods have been proposed in the literature including computational intelligence models. However, none of the existing models proved to be suitable under all circumstances; that is, their performance varies from one dataset to another. The goal of an ensemble model is to manage each of its individual models’ strengths and weaknesses automatically, leading to the best possible decision being taken overall. In this paper, we have developed different homogeneous and heterogeneous ensembles of optimized hybrid computational intelligence models for software development effort estimation. Different linear and nonlinear combiners have been used to combine the base hybrid learners. We have conducted an empirical study to evaluate and compare the performance of these ensembles using five popular datasets. The results confirm that individual models are not reliable as their performance is inconsistent and unstable across different datasets. Although none of the ensemble models was consistently the best, many of them were frequently among the best models for each dataset. The homogeneous ensemble of support vector regression (SVR), with the nonlinear combiner adaptive neurofuzzy inference systems-subtractive clustering (ANFIS-SC), was the best model when considering the average rank of each model across the five datasets.

ReSySTER: A hybrid recommender system for Scrum team roles based on fuzzy and rough sets

Agile development is a crucial issue within software engineering because one of the goals of any project leader is to increase the speed and flexibility in the development of new commercial products. In this sense, project managers must find the best resource configuration for each of the work packages necessary for the management of software development processes in order to keep the team motivated and committed to the project and to improve productivity and quality. This paper presents ReSySTER, a hybrid recommender system based on fuzzy logic, rough set theory and semantic technologies, aimed at helping project leaders to manage software development projects. The proposed system provides a powerful tool for project managers supporting the development process in Scrum environments and helping to form the most suitable team for different work packages. The system has been evaluated in a real scenario of development with the Scrum framework obtaining promising results.

Software project risk analysis using Bayesian networks with causality constraints

Many risks are involved in software development and risk management has become one of the key activities in software development. Bayesian networks (BNs) have been explored as a tool for various risk management practices, including the risk management of software development projects. However, much of the present research on software risk analysis focuses on finding the correlation between risk factors and project outcome. Software project failures are often a result of insufficient and ineffective risk management. To obtain proper and effective risk control, risk planning should be performed based on risk causality which can provide more risk information for decision making. In this study, we propose a model using BNs with causality constraints (BNCC) for risk analysis of software development projects. Through unrestricted automatic causality learning from 302 collected software project data, we demonstrated that the proposed model can not only discover causalities in accordance with the expert knowledge but also perform better in prediction than other algorithms, such as logistic regression, C4.5, Naïve Bayes, and general BNs. This research presents the first causal discovery framework for risk causality analysis of software projects and develops a model using BNCC for application in software project risk management.

Modeling High-Quality Knowledge Sharing in cross-functional software development teams

We present and empirically validate a Coopetitive Model of Knowledge Sharing that helps understand the forces underlying High-Quality Knowledge Sharing in multiparty software development teams. More specifically, we integrate the Coopetitive Model of Knowledge Sharing and Social Interdependence Theory to explain the forces behind High-Quality Knowledge Sharing in cross-functional software development teams. Based on the analysis of data collected from 115 software development project managers, we explore the mechanisms through which simultaneous cooperative and competitive behaviors drive High-Quality Knowledge Sharing among cross-functional team members. We also show how multiple interdependencies that are simultaneously set in motion engender cooperative and competitive behaviors. This study is the first study that encompasses both the antecedents of simultaneous cooperative and behaviors and the mechanisms through which simultaneous cooperation and competition influence knowledge sharing behaviors. The model adds to the emerging contingency perspective pertaining to the study of cooperation and competition in system development teams.

A simulation model for strategic management process of software projects

In this study, a simulation model for the strategic management process of software development projects is presented. The proposed model simulates the implications of strategic decisions on factors such as cost, risk, budget and schedule of software projects. The main advantage of the proposed model is that it provides an integrated framework wherein risk management, cost estimation, and project management planning for the strategic management process of software development projects are linked. The results of the simulation of the project management planning determine the budget and schedule required for a project. Different strategic management decisions pose different sets of risks, each of which require different cost commitments. Hence, each strategic decision requires a project management plan with its own unique budget and schedule of software development. Thus, the simulation model estimates the risk and cost under different strategic decisions and maps them according to the project management plans. Therefore, the proposed integrated framework helps identify the best strategic option for the development and management of software projects. The proposed simulation model is nonspecific because it contains generic plug and play components that facilitate the use of any set of risk assessment, cost estimation models and project management tools. Therefore, it provides a flexible solution to software organisations and managers of software development projects. The simulation model is applied to a case study, which showed the effect of different strategic decisions on the risk and cost of the different phases of software development and ultimately on the budget and schedule required to complete the project. It therefore provides critical insights in identifying the best strategy for the development of software projects.

Risk mitigation strategies for software development projects: Professional perspectives

The success of software development projects relies on how risks are managed. There is a lack of understanding on the effectiveness of risk mitigating strategies for managing software development projects. In a questionnaire survey conducted among 324 IT professionals, the effectiveness of risk management strategies was explored. The statistical method of variance technique (ANOVA) was used to analyse risk mitigation strategies in terms of their effectiveness in reducing time and cost overruns. Findings reveal that risk mitigation strategies related to the technical part are not as efficient as that in the managerial part such as the users’ involvement and commitment in reducing time and cost overruns. Results from this study could help increase the chances of success, achieve project cost and time objectives, and reduce project risks in software development projects. Key words: Risk mitigation, software development, IT business, risk management.

Metrics-based control in outsourced software development projects

Measurements have been recognised as vital instruments to improve control in outsourced software development projects. However, project managers are still struggling with the design and implementation of effective measurement programs. One reason for this is that although there is a large body of research literature on metrics, practical guidelines for choosing among concrete measurements are scarce. The authors address this gap between research and practice by synthesising knowledge from frameworks and guidelines presented in the software process improvement (SPI) literature. The contribution comprises a framework that provides a set of measurements (selected from the research literature) for control of software development in cooperative settings, and a set of principles and guidelines for the design of an information infrastructure that provides managers with control information. As implication for research, the authors identify the need to develop new theories of SPI through the lens of inter-organisational networks, and taking into account relevant practices from the world of open-source software development. Also lessons for managers of outsourced software development projects are discussed. The results have been validated via expert interviews and by a panel of experts.