Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Research Articles

Decision Making of Agile Patterns in Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: A Fuzzy Logic-Based Analysis

Computation intelligence techniques are important for making decisions in an agile-based offshore software development paradigm. Offshore development faces additional challenges, such as trust, communication and coordination, and socio-cultural and knowledge transfer. There is a need to determine the rankings of challenges considering their criticality concerning practitioners working in agile-based offshore software development. This paper aims to identify and rank agile challenges in offshore software development by applying computational intelligence techniques. From the systematic literature review, we identified 30 communication and coordination challenges. The distributed agile pattern catalog consists of 15 patterns, from which eight were used to solve communication and collaboration challenges. Many researchers have used fuzzy logic to quantify their results. We further applied the fuzzy analytical technique to determine the priority order concerning the criticality of the identified agile pattern catalog. The results showed that Central Code Repository Pattern ranked the most significant for solving communication and coordination challenges. Global Scrum Board Pattern and Synchronous Communication Pattern ranked second.

Determinants of trust in computer-mediated offshore software-outsourcing collaboration

Vendors and clients collaborate on outsourcing projects through virtual teams. Trust is an important indicator of mutual relationships that lead to successful projects. This study’s objective is to investigate the determinants of trust in different stages of collaboration during offshore software-development outsourcing. Using a case study approach to collect data, we find that reputation, a cognition-based trust factor, influences clients’ trust in vendors in the team-forming stage. Responsible team climate, a knowledge-based trust factor, impacts clients’ trust in vendors in the team-storming and norming stages of software design and development. Structural assurance, an institutional trust factor, encourages vendors’ trust in clients in the same team-storming and norming stages of software design and development. Benefit, a calculative-based trust factor, influences vendors’ trust in clients in the team-performing stage of software delivery and implementation. Our research findings have implications for software-outsourcing collaboration theories and practices and may have implications beyond that sphere, including team building in multiple contexts and environments.

Factors influencing the requirements engineering process in offshore software development outsourcing environments

Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is one of the popular development paradigms in the software industry. There are a number of challenges associated with OSDO including the challenges related to requirements engineering (RE) process. The objective of this study is to identify success factors (SFs) associated with RE processes in the OSDO context. A total of 25 SFs were identified using systematic literature review (SLR) and the identified SFs were further validated with practitioners using a questionnaire-based survey. The authors also examined the identified RE challenges with respect to their relevance for different organisation types (client and vendor) and sizes (small, medium, and large) with an aim to provide a clear understanding of the RE process and its SFs in the context of various OSDO organisations. They also conducted a comparative analysis between the SLR and questionnaire findings and the results indicate that there is a moderately positive correlation between the data sets. They believe that the findings of this study will provide a comprehensive model to help OSDO organisations assess and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their RE activities.

Critical Barriers in Software Outsourcing Vendor Organizations and Their Impacts on Software Outsourcing Clients: A Systematic Literature Review

Globalization and technological advancement have driven up the demand for software as many enterprises seek to gain a competitive edge through efficient business operations. Whereas software provides this capacity, the resources involved in software development sometimes provide a stumbling block, especially for startups and smaller businesses. Software development outsourcing or offshore software development offers a viable alternative for these enterprises. Software development outsourcing is a contractual agreement between a client and vendor organization (s), who then provide part or all of the software development related services at an agreed fee paid by the client. Despite the apparent importance of offshore software development, there is limited research literature that explores the general practices in software development outsourcing. Besides, identifying barriers that often present a significant challenge for client organizations has received a little interest from researchers. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 68 research articles to identify the critical barriers for offshore software development outsourcing vendors. In order to increase the internal validity of the reported findings, the articles selected for the review were taken from three continents; Africa, Asia and Europe. The critical barriers established from the study included communication problems, cultural barriers and incompatibility with the client’s requirements. From the findings, it is recommended that vendors address these barriers for an improved relationship between themselves and the clients. Moreover, addressing these barriers offer the vendors with an opportunity to position themselves strategically within the offshore outsourcing industry. Furthermore, the findings provide meaningful literature in the continuum of Software Development Outsourcing for Software project managers, researchers and other participants in the field. More importantly, the presented literature offers a starting point for generalizing the reported findings within the context of Software Development Outsourcing.

An empirical Study Investigation of Task Allocation Process Barriers in the Context of Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: An Organization Size Based Analysis

This research presented a holistic approach in determining the trade-off optimized Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) tunings for both servo and regulatory controls of the cascade control loop by using Genetic Algorithm (GA). Performance of GA-based PID tunings was significantly compared with the IMC-based single loop tunings and conventional cascade control tunings. GA-based PID tunings eliminated the complicated mathematic calculations in obtaining the correlation PID tuning values and also reduce the dependency on engineering knowledge, experience, and skills. The performance of transient and steady-state responses was compared through time domain specification, performance index, and process response curve. It is concluded that the GA-based PID tunings for the cascade control loop had produced the best result for both servo and regulatory control objectives, which is eventually determined.

An Evaluation Framework for Communication and Coordination Processes in Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Relationship: Using Fuzzy Methods

Offshore Software Development Outsourcing (OSDO) is a modern business strategy for producing high quality software at low cost. OSDO refers to the practice of contracting to an offshore (extrinsic) organization to perform some or all software development work of a product. For the benefit of OSDO vendors, the present research aims to develop a “Communication and Coordination Challenges’ Mitigation Model” (CCCMM) that provides solutions for unambiguously defined communication and coordination processes in a global software development (GSD) environment. Our proposed model is based on the fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making (FMADM) approach incorporating the capability of group decision making. FMADM approach is used both in ranking of survey and assessment of case studies. Firstly, authors undertook a systematic literature review (SLR) that identified all cited challenges from a set of 101 articles. We identified eighteen problem areas faced by GSD vendors in OSDO relationships. Of these, six were ranked as critical. For the purposes of identifying corrective interventions, a second SLR was conducted that revealed 75 remedial measures extracted from 63 chosen articles. To validate our SLR findings, we surveyed 42 outsourcing experts from six countries. We also categorized six critical challenge areas and 75 corrective practices into four mitigation levels based on CMMI, SOVRM and SOPM. In addition, two case studies were conducted to evaluate CCCMM outcomes in OSDO companies. The assessment results of first case study do not recommended Company-A for successful implementation of level-2 of CCCMM, so Company-A stands at level 1. We have observed from second case study that Company-B has implemented all the critical challenges of the level-2 only; therefore Company-B is at level-2 success of the proposed assessment model.

Towards the Successful Requirements Change Management in the Domain of Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: Preliminary Results

Towards the Successful Requirements Change Management in the Domain of Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: Preliminary Results

An empirical Study Investigation of Task Allocation Process Barriers in the Context of Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: An Organization Size Based Analysis

An empirical Study Investigation of Task Allocation Process Barriers in the Context of Offshore Software Development Outsourcing: An Organization Size Based Analysis

An Evaluation Framework for Communication and Coordination Processes in Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Relationship: Using Fuzzy Methods

Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is a modern business strategy for producing high-quality software at a low cost. The OSDO refers to the practice of contracting to an offshore (extrinsic) organization to perform some or all software development work of a product. For the benefit of the OSDO vendors, this paper aims to develop a “communication and coordination challenges mitigation model” (CCCMM) that provides solutions for unambiguously defined communication and coordination processes in global software development (GSD) environment. Our proposed model is based on the fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making (FMADM) approach incorporating the capability of group decision-making. The FMADM approach is used both in the ranking of survey and assessment of case studies. First, the authors undertook a systematic literature review (SLR) that identified all cited challenges from a set of 101 articles. We identified 18 problem areas faced by the GSD vendors in OSDO relationships. Of these, six were ranked as critical. For the purpose of identifying corrective interventions, a second SLR was conducted that revealed 75 remedial measures extracted from 63 chosen articles. To validate our SLR findings, we surveyed 42 outsourcing experts from six countries. We also categorized six critical challenges and 75 corrective practices into four mitigation levels based on CMMI, SOVRM, and SOPM. In addition, two case studies were conducted to evaluate CCCMM outcomes in OSDO companies. The assessment results of the first case study do not recommend Company-A for the successful implementation of level-2 of the CCCMM, so Company-A stands at level-1. We have observed from the second case study that Company-B has implemented all the critical challenges of the level-2 only; therefore, Company-B is at level-2 “success” of the proposed assessment model.

Understanding early warning signs of failure in offshore-outsourced software projects at team level

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the concept of early warning signs (EWSs) in offshore-outsourced software development (OOSD) projects at the team level. It also aims to identify the EWSs of failure in the onshore-offshore project context and understand how they are perceived by responsible managers.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory approach is followed by gathering data from 19 failed OOSD projects using project managers from client and vendor sides as the key informants.FindingsThis study identified 13 EWSs of failure in five categories of trust and team cohesion, common project execution structures, awareness of shared work context, collaboration between teams and onshore-offshore team coordination capabilities. EWSs were found to comprise two components: early warning issues and early signals of failures.Research limitations/implicationsIndia-based vendors’ data in the study formed the primary weakness of the work regarding generalizability, even though it brought homogeneity to data. Lack of triangulation of failure data through client or vendor peers proved impossible in this research as failure remains a very sensitive topic. Dual composition of EWSs could be applied to institutionalize an early warning tool in projects.Originality/valueThe paper develops an exploratory model of EWSs of failure and project failure in the OOSD project context. The two-component framework of EWSs allows project managers to eliminate false positives while identifying EWSs. It contributes to the information system failure, risk management and information technology offshoring research streams.

Critical challenges in managing offshore software development outsourcing contract from vendors' perspectives

Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is a Global Software Engineering paradigm for developing high quality software at low cost in low-wage countries; where client organisation contracts out all or part of software development activities to vendor organisation. The vendor organisation provides the agreed software development work in return for remuneration. The objective of the research is to identify critical challenges faced by vendor organisations in management and execution of OSDO contract, and to analyse the identified challenges based on the variables such as time/year and organisational size. The authors have used systematic literature review for the identification of the challenges in OSDO contract. They have identified that 15 challenges faced by vendors in OSDO contract. Amongst these, nine challenges were marked as critical challenges. They have further analysed the identified challenges based on different variables such as organisational size, time and correlation analysis.Vendor organisations should concentrate on addressing the identified critical challenges such as `lack of project management', `poor monitoring system', `lack of outsourcing relationship management', `cultural and linguistic issues', `non-competitive price', `intellectual property rights (IPR) and regulatory issues', `failure to manage end-user expectation', `lack of negotiation strategies' and `unforeseen contingencies' for successful outcome of OSDO contract.

Effect of Shared Knowledge in Offshore Outsourced Software Development Projects

Effect of Shared Knowledge in Offshore Outsourced Software Development Projects

Knowledge sharing and service innovativeness in offshore outsourced software development firms

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of knowledge sharing on innovativeness in offshore outsourced software development firms.Design/methodology/approach– For the study, a survey methodology was used, and 408 respondents attached to offshore outsourced software development firms in Sri Lanka responded. The hypothesized relationships were examined by structural equation modelling.Findings– The analysis yielded a two-component factor structure for knowledge sharing, which were termed as knowledge sharing practices and knowledge availability. It was found that both knowledge sharing practices and knowledge availability significantly positively predict innovativeness. The study provided empirical data to support the contention that organizations should be able to timely deliver knowledge to the right user to enhance innovativeness.Practical implications– The findings suggest the importance of creating an environment conducive for software developers to share information, insight, lessons learned and effective practices. Further, organizations have to establish a mechanisms to capture and capitalise knowledge residing in employees.Originality/value– In the knowledge-intensive offshore business sectors such as software development, economic value is found more in intangibles and less in tangibles. The sharing of knowledge leads to the dissemination of innovative ideas, which could improve work processes and develop new business opportunities. Therefore, it is important to conduct research that would lead to better understand drivers that enhance the innovativeness of service offerings of firms located in developing countries when competing internationally in offshore outsourced software development.

Effect of Mutual Knowledge in Offshore Outsourced Software Development Projects

This paper investigates under what conditions knowledge available to team members leads to positive performance outcomes. We surmise that mutual knowledge that enables the team members to coordinate their work efforts is beneficial for team performance up to a limit after which excess mutual knowledge causes a decline in performance. We further suggest that the inverted U relation between mutual knowledge and performance will be amplified when team size is low and neutralized when team size is high. Similarly we hypothesize that the inverted U relation between mutual knowledge and performance will be amplified when Onsite ratio is high and neutralized when Onsite ratio is low. We test these hypotheses in a sample of offshore outsourced software services projects and find support for all our assertions.

Intercultural challenges in offshore software development outsourcing relationships: an exploratory study using a systematic literature review

Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is an emerging business paradigm implemented by many software development organisations. OSDO faces a variety of challenges including temporal, geographical and intercultural differences. The objective of this research is to identify the intercultural challenges faced by vendors in OSDO relationships. A systematic literature review process for the identification of these challenges from vendors' perspective has been used. The findings reveal `language and language proficiency', `national culture' and `organisational culture' as the critical intercultural challenges for vendors in OSDO relationships. These challenges based on study strategy have been further analysed.

Critical success factors for offshore software outsourcing contract management from vendors’ perspective: an exploratory study using a systematic literature review

Offshore software development outsourcing is a recent and widely used business strategy for the development of high quality products at low cost. The objective of the research presented in this study is to find critical success factors (CSFs) for contract management to assist vendor organisations for successful outcomes of the offshore software outsourcing contract. A systematic literature review (SLR) process was performed for the identification of factors that can assist vendor organisations in successful management of the various activities at different stages of the outsourcing contract. that is, pre-contract, during contract and post-contract. Our findings reveal that ‘contract flexibility, ‘trustworthy relationship management’, ‘competitive bidding’, ‘consultation and negotiation’ and ‘quality management’ are considered as the CSFs for outsourcing vendor organisations in planning, management and execution of outsourcing contract.

Supervisor support as a moderator between work schedule flexibility and job stress

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of supervisor support on the relationship between work schedule flexibility and job stress.Design/methodology/approachFor the study a survey methodology was used and 232 software developers attached to offshore outsourced software development firms responded.FindingsIt was found that supervisor support moderates the relationship between work schedule flexibility and job stress.Originality/valueThe findings of this study will provide useful information for both practitioners and academics to better understand the nature of strategies to be adopted in mitigating job stress.

Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Contract from Vendors’ Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review Protocol

Context – Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is a modern business strategy for developing high quality software at low-wage countries at reduced cost. Outsourcing is a contract based association between vendor and client organization, where a client organization contracts-out with vendor organization for software development work to be provided by vendor organization in return for remuneration. Appropriate management of the OSDO contract plays an important role in the success of outsourced projects. Objective The objective of this protocol is to identify different critical success factors (CSFs) and critical barriers (CBs) that are considered critical for successful management and execution of the outsourcing contract in different stages of the contract i.e. pre-contract, during the contract and post-contract. Method – Systematic Literature Review (SLR) will be used for the identification of the aforementioned factors. SLR is based on a structured protocol, and is therefore, different from ordinary review. SLR give more prescribed and less biased result from the ordinary literature review. Expected Outcome – We have developed the SLR protocol and are currently in process of its implementation. The expected outcomes of this review will be the identification of critical success factors (CSFs) and critical barriers (CBs) to be addressed by vendor organizations for appropriate management of OSDO contract. The ultimate outcome of the research is to develop Outsourcing Contract Management Model (OCMM).

Empirical investigation of success factors for offshore software development outsourcing vendors

Offshore software development outsourcing is a contractual business of high-quality software production at offshore destinations with significant cost-saving. The objective of this research paper is to identify and analyse factors that are important to be addressed by vendor organisations in order to be competitive in outsourcing business. We have performed questionnaire surveys with 53 experts from a total of 20 different countries. We asked the participants to rank each success factor on a fivepoint scale to determine the perceived importance of each success factor. Our survey included success factors identified in the previous findings of our systematic literature review study. We have identified factors such as cost-saving and appropriate infrastructure, which are considered critical by the outsourcing clients. Our results indicate that appropriate infrastructure, cost-saving and efficient project management are common in three types of experts (i.e. junior, intermediate and senior). We identified cost-saving as being common in four groups of experts (i.e. developers, managers, senior managers and others). We have also identified cost-saving as being common in three types of organisations (i.e. small, medium and large). Cost-saving and appropriate infrastructure should be addressed by vendor organisations in order to compete in the offshore outsourcing business.

Portfolio Cost Management in Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Relationships from Vendor’s Perspective: a Systematic Literature Review Protocol

Portfolio Cost Management in Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Relationships from Vendor’s Perspective: a Systematic Literature Review Protocol