Software Development Organizations Research Articles

Communication Tools in Offshore Development with Scrum

Offshore development with Scrum is a progressively more important development approach for software development organization as it fetches attractive opportunities. Offshore development is already facing several problems and Scrum method brings more challenges in the form of their reliance of verbal communication. The aim of this paper is to present a research design for providing recommendation for rich communication system in offshore development with Scrum. It discusses the research methodology used for developing the recommendation for rich communication system.

DECOUPLING FROM STANDARDS — PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS

The paper explores process management standards in software development organisations. It centres on the question how organisations manage the compliance with process standards as well as the need for ongoing technical innovation at the same time. It refers to former studies where it was concluded that process management standards tend to crowd out technical innovations in organisations. By reconsidering the coupling approach of Orton and Weick (1990) we show based on four case studies that it does not apply to those organisations which allow innovating activities being loosely coupled or decoupled from the reigning standard script. These organisations sustain their chances for incremental and fundamental technical innovations. Dealing with loosely coupled or decoupled innovating activities implies a dialectical standard management. It means that potentially contradictory and conflict-ridden activities like standardised practices and innovating activities are manageable by specific institutional, temporarily limited and formal/informal solutions. Furthermore, we scrutinise in this paper the decoupling discussion of some parts of the standard management literature. Standard decoupling is often seen as an unfortunate, but necessary solution to cope with external pressure for internal standardisation. In contrast to this, we develop an understanding where standard decoupling is not defined as a set of activities without affecting the 'technical core' of an organisation. (Brunsson and Jacobsson, 2000b; Meyer and Rowan, 1967). Rather, decoupling is seen as a temporary and locally limited situation of an innovating subsystem within an organisation where it is allowed to detach from reigning standardised practices and to test and develop innovative ideas under less formalised conditions.

An empirically validated simulation for understanding the relationship between process conformance and technology skills

Software development is a fast-paced environment where developers need constant update to ever-changing technologies. Furthermore, process improvement initiatives have been proven useful in increasing the productivity of a software organization. As such, these organizations need to decide where to invest their training budget. As a result, training in technological update to their workforce or training in process conformance with its productive processes become conflicting alternatives. This paper presents a system dynamics simulation of a software factory product line. The objective of this simulation is to understand the changes in behavior when selecting either one of the above-training alternatives. The system dynamics model was validated with an expert panel, and the simulation results have been empirically validated--using statistical process control--against the performance baseline of a real software development organization. With the simulation under statistical control and performing like the baseline, the independent variables representing process conformance (process training) and technology skills (skills training) were modified to study their impact on product defects and process stability. Our results show that while both variables have positive impact on defects and process stability, investment in process training results in a process with less variation and with fewer defects.

AiOLoS: A model for assessing organizational learning in software development organizations

ContextIn an industry in which technological developments are rapid, in order to keep up with the continuously increasing competition and to obtain competitive advantage, the software development organizations (SDOs) need to obtain the correct knowledge, use it efficiently and pass it to future projects evolving it accordingly. ObjectiveThe main aim of this paper is to propose a novel model, AiOLoS, for assessing the level and characteristics of organizational learning (OL) in SDOs. MethodThe primary contributions of this two-legged AiOLoS model are the identification of the major process areas and the core processes that a learning software organization (LSO) follows during its OL process and to provide the necessary measures and the corresponding definitions/interpretations for the assessment of the learning characteristics of the SDO. The research is supported with a multiple case-study work to identify the mapping of the core processes and the applicability of the AiOLoS model to SDOs, its utilization as a tool for assessing OL and providing a basis for software process improvement (SPI). ResultsThe case studies have shown that not only the AiOLoS measures are applicable to SDOs but also that they measure in great extent the actual OL that is realized in the organization and that the major process areas and core processes are actually related to the OL process of SDOs. ConclusionAiOLoS has been designed to provide a starting point for the enhancement of OL capabilities of SDOs, which in turn should provide a basis to conduct SPI activities. Therefore, it is also important to investigate a possible binding of AiOLoS to SPICE and the inclusion of a maturity dimension to AiOLoS.

Process communication in medical software development

ABSTRACTThis paper describes a case study on using the Eclipse Process Framework in a medical software development organization to consolidate existing process descriptions. Although on nonmedical fields the Eclipse Process Framework was successfully used for process modeling and aiding process improvement efforts, the complex nature of the regulatory and process standard requirements on the medical software field needs special attention. In this environment, compliance to the regulatory is more important than improvement, so the process modeling has to implement these requirements in a very strict way, while supporting the business goals of the organization and enabling the improvement of the processes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Proposed Defect Tracking Model for Classifying the Inserted Defect Reports to Enhance Software Quality Control

Defect tracking systems play an important role in the software development organizations as they can store historical information about defects. There are many research in defect tracking models and systems to enhance their capabilities to be more specifically tracking, and were adopted with new technology. Furthermore, there are different studies in classifying bugs in a step by step method to have clear perception and applicable method in detecting such bugs. This paper shows a new proposed defect tracking model for the purpose of classifying the inserted defects reports in a step by step method for more enhancement of the software quality.

From MoProSoft Level 2 to ISO/IEC 29110 Basic Profile: Bridging the Gap

The spread of the interest and the need for process reference models, specifically for small and medium software development organizations, has been a catalyst for generating ISO/IEC 29110 Software Engineering — Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities. Based on the Mexican standard NMX-I-059-NYCE-2005, better known as MoProSoft, ISO/IEC 29110 is the first international standard specifically designed for very small entities.Thanks to the COMPETISOFT Project and MoProSoft, the background knowledge and models adoption experience have been introduced in Latin America. In Mexico more than 300 organizations have been evaluated in NMX-I-059-NYCE-2005, in 2009 MoProSoft became a national standard in Peru, while COMPETISOFT included the experience and viewpoints of 13 countries and 23 research groups of the region. As a whole, it gives small software development organizations in the region an advantage in adopting an international standard.This paper clarifies the gap between ISO/IEC 29110 and MoProSoft level 2. As a result of a theoretical and practical review both standards have been mapped defining the coverage level between processes, considering the defined tasks, work products and roles. Several recommendations have been suggested to bridge the gap between these standards. Finally, the effort needed to adopt the Basic Profile of the new international standard starting from the Mexican standard has been estimated. The results have been extended to also consider organizations that adopted COMPETISOFT as their process reference model.

Ontological approach to knowledge management in software maintenance

Many papers describe ontological designs but few explain how to design ontology. Moreover, very few focus on applying knowledge management techniques for software maintenance. This paper provides an analysis of several of the ontology’s proposed to address this need, in order that some of their ideas can help software development organizations in similar work, and describes a methodology for structuring an ontology that, besides the area of software maintenance, can be applied in other areas of knowledge.

Adapting funding processes for agile IT projects: an empirical investigation

Agile software development that provides software development organizations, the ability to respond to changes in turbulent business environments, has been gaining wide adoption. Agile software development projects are characterized by ‘just enough’ planning and lack of upfront commitment to scope, cost, and schedule. These characteristics pose conflicting demands on managers responsible for making funding decisions, because traditional approaches to funding IT projects are often based on well-defined scope, cost, and schedule. These conflicts demand the adaptation of traditional funding processes to suit to agile projects. We draw from Adaptive Structuration Theory to understand the nature of conflicts between traditional IT project funding processes and the dynamic nature of agile projects, and how these conflicts are addressed by practices that are appropriated in the process of social interaction between funding decision makers and development teams. On the basis of a multisite case study, we present a framework that explains how organizations adapt traditional IT funding approaches to accommodate the unique characteristics of agile IT projects.

Modeling software development practices using reusable project patterns: a case study

SUMMARYSoftware process improvement in software development organizations is a complex task that can be solved using knowledge management strategies. The definition and use of process patterns is a proven approach to apply knowledge management strategies in software engineering organizations. One of the main problems for the effective application of process patterns is the difficulty of formalizing the knowledge about the development process using these approaches.In this paper, a framework to manage software project patterns is presented. This framework is composed of a model called reusable project pattern (RPP) and a tool called sdpReuser. It is able to formalize the knowledge on software development projects from software development methodologies, reference frameworks, best practices and also tacit knowledge, useful to software engineers.The authors carried out a case study at the University Carlos III of Madrid, where junior software engineers used RPP. This study shows that the quality of pattern formalization correlates with experience in specific software engineering methods, the quality of the references in software engineering practices and the collaboration among software engineers to develop an RPP. It also analyzed the usefulness of RPP information elements to help software engineers to identify the most appropriate RPP and how to adapt it to project restrictions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Elicit A New Component based Software Development Model

This is an era of embryonic software development where there is loads of pressure not only on developers but also on software development organizations in order to stumble on unswerving, fast and lucrative methods in software production. Therefore, to fulfill the need, Component-Based Development (CBD) has been broadly used in software development as it enhances reusability, flexibility, and reduces the cost as well as time. In this paper, we are proposing a life cycle model commonly encountered in component based development methodologies. This model is divided into five stages or phases. Each phase describes its sub segments and activities necessary to develop Component Based software in a short span of time, effectively and efficiently. This model emphasizes not only on the development architecture but also focuses on validation of the integration of components, to accommodate client needs and requirements. The proposed model can be used for developing a process for producing Component-Based systems.

A curriculum for large scale software development

Large scale software developments are becoming common in software development organizations. Getting exposure to work on similar projects is very significant for this course. Here, major components of large scale software development curriculum are discussed along with suggestions towards making it a successful course of software engineering curriculum.

Investigation on Australian Agile Software Development Organizations: An Exploratory Study of Adaptable SCM Process Implementation

There have been many studies and examples in the literature separately demonstrating the benefits of Agile software development and Software Configuration Management process to software development organizations. There is, however, a general misconception that these two practice domains cannot coexist in a single environment without compromising the values of each other, and there is little reporting on such phenomenon and/or how practitioners can benefit from it. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of phase 1 of our research and to identify Australian Agile Software Development Organizations having such coexistence. This study will use 'organization size as a lens to analyze implementation variations of Agile and SCM practices and the perceived importance of SCM process in the agile environment. This research as a whole will support SCM practitioners in particular and IT practitioners in general by providing better understanding of SCM Process in agile environments. It will also contribute knowledge towards theory of lean.

Impact of Leadership Support on KMS-based Knowledge Seeking Behavior: Lessons Learned

KM is a strategy that improves organizational performance and survival in a business environment. It is a challenging scenario for the organizations to manage their knowledge properly; in practice, a small amount of missing knowledge sometimes causes a great delay in the project. KMS are becoming an increasingly popular tool of KM in software development organizations. Tempting employees to seek knowledge from KMS remain an important concern for researchers and practitioners. Leadership support has been widely recognized in many studies as an important driving factor of knowledge seeking and contributions; however, the role of leadership support in promoting knowledge seeking behavior using KMS has not been adequately addressed. The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership support and its relationship with the success of KMS as perceived by employees in China’s software development organizations who are using KMS for knowledge seeking. The data which were collected from a survey of 73 employees working in different software development organizations of china were used to test the proposed research model. The results of the survey revealed that leadership support is positively related with employee’s continuous intention of seeking knowledge. Further, Leadership support helps in promoting the use of KMS for knowledge seeking within organizations. This analysis is vital for senior management and leaders of the organizations who want to make their KMS successful, and to establish a knowledge sharing capability of their employees. In doing so, leaders should focus their efforts towards promoting KMS-based knowledge seeking behavior in their organizations.

A comprehensive study of Software Risk Management

The challenges and realities in applying effective software risk management processes are difficult, in particular integrating the risk management processes into software development organizations. However, the benefits of implementing effective risk management tools and techniques in software development project are equally great. It provides a disciplined environment for proactive decision-making to assess continuously what can go wrong; determine what risks are important to deal with; and implement actions to deal with those risks. Current perceptions and emerging trends of various software risk management practices are reviewed and risks specific to software development projects are identified. Risk management planning addresses the strategy for risk management, the risk management process, and the techniques, methods, and tools to be used to support the risk management process. If risk management process is in place for each and every software development process then future problems could be minimized or completely eradicated. This paper addresses lessons learned from implementing project risk management practices in software development environment and recognizes the increasing role of risk management in present software projects and aims at providing more support in this area. Keywords: Risk management tools, Risk management planning, Risk management process, Software development

Model of system configuration requirements and measurement of their functional size

Currently, software development organisations are expected to deliver projects on time and on budget in a context of fixed-price contracts. The main goal of this research paper is to design a new configuration model using, as a basis, the European International standards ECSS-E-40 and ECSS-Q-80B together with the ISO-19761, for measuring in particular the embedded software. Measurement of such non-functional requirements NFRs should be feasible and as early as possible in software engineering projects. The motivation for this research project is to contribute to improve some of the inputs required for cost estimation techniques for embedded software, more specifically the measurement of NFRs.

A Proposed Defect Tracking Model for Classifying the Inserted Defect Reports to Enhance Software Quality Control

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLAREDDefect tracking systems play an important role in the software development organizations as they can store historical information about defects. There are many research in defect tracking models and systems to enhance their capabilities to be more specifically tracking, and were adopted with new technology. Furthermore, there are different studies in classifying bugs in a step by step method to have clear perception and applicable method in detecting such bugs. This paper shows a new proposed defect tracking model for the purpose of classifying the inserted defects reports in a step by step method for more enhancement of the software quality.

An agent-based approach for supporting the knowledge transfer in the software requirements engineering

The software requirements engineering consists of knowledge-intensive procedures, involving various profiles, which handle a wide range of information. The adoption of a solution that satisfies the knowledge demands related to requirements engineering is not a trivial task. Despite all the investment made by research institutions and software development organisations in automated environments to support the software process, the quality levels and the productivity rates they need has not been reached. In requirements engineering, the experience, which helps avoid mistakes of the past and improve decision making, still lies mainly in the organisation collaborators. This paper intends to contribute to software requirements engineering by proposing a new approach to support the transference of the knowledge related to the software process to workers that need it. The proposed approach will support the software requirements engineering through the creation of an agent-based model to assist the development of intelligent agents that can: 1) realise the knowledge needs; 2) interact with the information systems; 3) support executing the software developer tasks. In other words, the paper proposes creating a multi-agent system to manage knowledge related to the execution of software development processes.

Project managers in global software development teams: a study of the effects on productivity and performance

Globalization is having a deep impact on today's world economy. One of the most affected industries is the software industry. Recently, global software development (GSD) has gained a lot of attention. This new trend of producing software is influencing all software processes, including human resource management. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the implications of GSD for software project managers by analyzing project performance from different perspectives such as the 360-degree feedback evaluation. Results show that performance of GSD projects is lower than in-house projects, but apart from that, this study reveals that there are also negative consequences for software project managers, which need to be taken into account. For instance, the experiment revealed a lack of attention to tasks by software project managers and, as a consequence of this, performance losses. The main conclusions of this research may be valuable for software development organizations.

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.