Software Development Projects Research Articles

Leveraging Structure in Software Merge: An Empirical Study

Large-scale software development today relies heavily on version control systems facilitating distributed development of software projects. For the purpose of merging diverging versions of the code base, version control systems employ line-based merge algorithms, which are applicable to all text files. Structured merge algorithms have been proposed as an alternative to unstructured, line-based merging, with the goal of reducing the number of merge conflicts that have to be manually resolved by the developer. By leveraging the structure inherent in source code (i.e., by representing source code files in terms of abstract syntax trees instead of sequences of text lines), these algorithms are able to merge revisions in various situations (e.g., reordering of methods) that would cause conflicts when merged using an unstructured approach. However, merging abstract syntax trees is inherently more complex than merging sequences of text lines, which makes structured merge algorithms computationally more expensive than an unstructured merge. To reduce the runtime cost of structured merge algorithms, semistructured merge as well as combinations of different merge strategies were proposed. As such, we observe a range of increasingly structured merge algorithms, which feature different characteristics in terms of conflict resolution and runtime. The progressively increasing use of structure to avoid merge conflicts or to automate conflict resolution raises a number of questions: How is the correctness of the code resulting from a merge affected when employing structured merge algorithms? Which algorithm strikes the best balance between runtime, conflict resolution potential, and correctness of the merge result? For the first time, we evaluate a whole range of merge algorithms (from unstructured over semistructured to structured as well as combinations) by replaying merge commits in a controlled setting. We employ the test suite of the projects in question as an oracle for the correctness of the resulting code, triangulated by a thorough manual analysis. Using 7727 merge commits from 10 open-source projects, we find that combined strategies appear to be the best of both worlds: They resolve as many conflicts as structured merge at a significantly lower runtime per merge commit. Notably, structured merge strategies do cause more test failures, however, the increase is small.

OffshoringDSS: An Automated Tool of Application Maintenance Offshoring

The rapid spread of the internet over the last two decades has prompted more and more companies to deploy their work internationally. The offshoring strategy enables organizations to cut down costs, boost shareholder value, acquire a competitive advantage, reduce cycle time, increase workforce flexibility, generate revenue and focus on their core business. The number of worldwide software development projects has increased due to globalization. Global Software Development (GSD) projects are forecast to grow by 20% to 30% in countries like India and China. The outsourcing experts choose one of the suitable models from the available global delivery options to deliver services in the global software paradigm. However, adopting the appropriate model for application maintenance is a complicated process. In addition, the right model is selected based on various influencing factors, type of the project and client requirements. Additionally, sufficient domain expertise is necessary for the decision making of offshore outsourcing. Currently, there is no dynamic and automated tool for the decision making of application maintenance offshoring. Therefore, this study presents an Offshoring Decision Support System (OffshoringDSS), an automated and novel tool to make the offshoring decisions of application maintenance. The suggested tool is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The tool automatically performs all the calculations involved in the decision making and ranks the sourcing models.

The Impact of Agile Methodology on Project Success, with a Moderating Role of Person’s Job Fit in the IT Industry of Pakistan

Computing software plays an essential role in almost every sector of the digital age, but the process of efficient software development still faces several challenges. Effective software development methodology can be the difference between the success and failure of a software project. This research aims to evaluate the overall impact of Agile Software Development (ASD) on the individual, organizational, software development, and project management dimensions. For this purpose, we surveyed several software development professionals from a variety of backgrounds (experience, location, and job ranks) to explore the impact of ASD on the IT industry of Pakistan. Our analysis of the collected information is two folds. First, we summarized the findings from our surveys graphically clearly show the opinions of our survey respondents regarding the effectiveness of the Agile methodology for software development. Secondly, we utilized quantitative measures to analyze the same data statistically. A comparison is drawn between the graphical and statistical analysis to verify the reliability of our findings. Our findings suggest the existence of a strong relationship between effective software development and the use of Agile processes. Our analysis shows that the job fit of software development professionals and ASD are critical factors for software development project success in terms of cost, quality, stakeholders satisfaction, and time. Although the study focuses on the IT industry of Pakistan, the findings can be generalized easily to other developing IT industries worldwide.

Threat Modeling of Cyber-Physical Systems - A Case Study of a Microgrid System

Cyber threat modeling is an analytical process that is used for identifying the potential threats against a system and supporting the selection of security requirements in the early stages of the system development life cycle. Thus, threat modeling is a vital instrument for the realization of the secure-by-design principle. Despite being a well-known practice in software development projects, its adaptation to cyber-physical systems still requires systematic elaboration. The complex interactions between cyber and physical spaces and their reflection on the cyber threat landscape constitute a significant challenge for the system development teams. This study proposes a detailed methodology to apply STRIDE to cyber-physical systems and demonstrates its applicability in a case study of a microgrid system. Our methodology provides a systematic threat elicitation procedure based on an attack taxonomy that was created for this research. This paper also shows how assets could be identified, data flow diagrams formed, trust boundaries determined, and threats prioritized, in the case of a cyber-physical system.

Software Size Estimation: A survey

Software size prediction is a first step to compute information for software project development such as: project cost, effort, schedules, duration and so on. This paper presents the software prediction methods and the efforts of the researchers in this era. Methods such as Source line of Code, Model based estimation, function point and estimation from UML diagrams. For every method, the strength and weakness is presented. Also, it presents the evaluation criteria that is necessary for the researcher to evaluate the accuracy of the methods.This information will help the researcher in the future to choose the most effect method that fit to his/her software project.

C2M: a maturity model for the evaluation of communication in distributed software development.

Communication is essential in any software development project, particularly those globally distributed where geographical, temporal, and cultural distance may hinder the effectiveness of communication. The challenges imposed by distance often characterize communication as still one of the main drawbacks of globally distributed projects. Therefore, establishing communication processes and practices is relevant to support a team’s work. These processes and practices need to be updated and aligned with the team’s needs. Thus, assessing and evaluating the maturity of such communication processes and practices is paramount. This article presents a Communication Maturity Model called C2M which aims to help organizations identify the maturity of communication-related aspects by providing an approach for revealing what practices need to be improved. The model is composed of 4 levels of maturity (causal, partially managed, managed and reflective) and 4 areas of maturity (people, project, organizational and engineering) which are organized into 15 maturity factors, each factor comprising a set of practices. The model has 58 practices and each has its specific objectives. The model was empirically developed and evaluated in three well-defined phases. In the conception phase, methodological procedures (Tertiary Study, Systematic Literature Review, and Interviews) were carried out in order to gather relevant information for designing the first version of the C2M model (alpha version). Then, in the refinement phase, two focus group meetings were held in two organizations in order to identify how effectively the model attends its purpose. The results led to a second version of the C2M model (beta version), analyzed by a survey with experts who assessed the representation of the third version of the C2M model—omega version (evaluation phase). All results achieved so far suggest that the model can assist in discovering the maturity level of the communication processes and practices in globally distributed projects. Future works will focus on developing a software tool to help with self-assessment.

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About The Author

Deconstructing the Nature of Collaboration in Organizations Open Source Software Development: The Impact of Developer and Task Characteristics

One opportunity for organizations to participate in open source software (OSS) development is through <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">organizations OSS</i> (orgsOSS), a term we use to describe a group of organizations that commit resources to collectively develop OSS. This archetype of OSS development is distinct from other types that include organizations, yet is understudied. As organizations increasingly contribute to and rely on OSS as part of their strategy, understanding how they can collaborate to build software holds importance for the future of software development. This study collects a unique dataset of development tasks from a large orgsOSS project spanning over two years and seven releases. Building on existing OSS research, we explore norms with respect to collaboration, i.e., how developers assign, discuss, and complete tasks, in an orgsOSS project. Interestingly, our analysis reveals that developers in orgsOSS do not always adhere to ideals of widespread sharing and participation espoused by traditional OSS, however some developer and task characteristics helped foster these ideals. Based on these and other findings, we develop a set of propositions and associated collaboration mechanisms that are important to future orgsOSS and other similarly structured software development projects.

Agile Software Development in Healthcare: A Synthetic Scoping Review

Even though software can be found everywhere, software development has encountered many problems, resulting in the emergence of new alternative development paradigms. Among them, agile approaches are the most popular. While much research has been published about agile software development (ASD) in general, there is a lack of documented knowledge about its use in healthcare. Consequently, it is not clear how ASD is used in healthcare, how it performs, and what the reasons are for not using it. To fill this gap, we performed a quantitative and qualitative knowledge synthesis of the research literature harvested from Scopus and Web of Science databases, employing the triangulation of bibliometrics and thematic analysis to answer the research question What is state of the art in using ASD in the healthcare sector? Results show that the research literature production trend is positive. The most productive countries are leading software development countries: the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. The research is mainly published in health informatics source titles. It is focused on improving the software process, quality of healthcare software, reduction of development resources, and general improvement of healthcare delivery. More research has to be done on scaling agile approaches to large-scale healthcare software development projects. Despite barriers, ASD can improve software development in healthcare settings and strengthen cooperation between healthcare and software development professionals. This could result in more successful digital health transformation and consequently more equitable access to expert-level healthcare, even on a global level.

Risk Management in Software Development Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

Risk Management is an integral part of every project. Risk management must estimate the risks’ significance, especially in the SDLC process, and mitigate those risks. Since 2016, many papers and journals have researched planning, design, and risk control in software development projects over the last five years. This study aims to find the most exciting topics for researchers in risk management, especially in software engineering projects. This paper takes a systematic approach to reviewing articles containing risk management in software development projects. This study collects papers and journals included in the international online library database, then summarizes them according to the stages of the PICOC methodology. This paper results in the focus of research in the last five years on Agile methods. The current issue is that many researchers are trying to explicitly integrate risk management into the Agile development process by creating a comprehensive risk management framework. This SLR helps future research get a theoretical basis to solve the studied problem. The SLR explains the focuses of previous research, analysis of research results, and the weaknesses of the investigation. For further study, take one of the topic papers, do a critical review, and find research gaps.

Deep Learning Model for Selecting Suitable Requirements Elicitation Techniques

Requirement elicitation represents one of the most vital phases in information system (IS) and software development projects. Selecting suitable elicitation techniques is critical for eliciting the correct specification in various projects. Recent studies have revealed that improper novice practices in this phase have increased the failure rate in both IS and software development projects. Previous research has primarily relied on creating procedural systems based on contextual studies of elicitation properties. In contrast, this paper introduces a deep learning model for selecting suitable requirement elicitation. An experiment was conducted wherein a collected dataset of 1684 technique selection attributes were investigate with respect to 14 elicitation techniques. The study adopted seven criteria to evaluate predictive model performance using confusion matrix accuracy, precision, recall, F1 Score, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) and loss curve. The model scored prediction accuracy of 82%, precision score of 0.83, recall score of 0.83, F1 score of 0.82, cross-validation score of 0.82 (± 0.10), One-vs-One ROC AUC score of 0.74, and One-vs-Rest ROC AUC score of 0.75 for each label. Our results indicate the model’s high prediction ability. The model provides a robust decision-making process for delivering correct elicitation techniques and lowering the risk of project failure. The implications of this study can be used to promote the automatization of the elicitation technique selection process, thereby enhancing current required elicitation industry practices.

The model of SCRUM master selection using fuzzy sets

Problem. The complexity of software is constantly growing. Today a user is interested in software that is integrated into all aspects of their life. Creating a large number of diverse software applications is impossible without the formation of a software development team. Agile methodologies are used to develop most modern programs. The most common is the SCRUM methodology. Team working is managed by a SCRUM master, which is the interface between the owner and the project team. Therefore, choosing an effective SCRUM master is an urgent task. Aim The work aims to increase the efficiency of software development projects by developing the SCRUM master selection model using fuzzy sets, which will consider the individual characteristics and advantages of the SCRUM project team members. Methodology. The methods and principles of fuzzy mathematics are used. Decision-making methods in the conditions of fuzzy input data were used to develop a model for choosing a SCRUM master for a software development project. Results. Today, there are many variants of models for software development projects. The choice of one or another option depends on the features and requirements of the project. A fuzzy model for choosing a SCRUM master for managing a software development project has been developed. An example of work distribution between performers using the theory of fuzzy sets is given. Calculations were made in Microsoft Excel. Originality. The developed model allows choosing a SCRUM master in the conditions of fuzzy information about the individual preferences of the areas of the software development project team. Practical value. Using the proposed SCRUM master selection model for a software development project will improve project team communication and reduce the development time. In addition, the proposed model can be used to select a SCRUM master for other projects.

50 &amp; 25 Years Ago

Performance Evaluation; Richard R. Shively (p. 12) “Economics is, of course, a primary incentive for performance analysis. Growth in computing service cost as a percentage of the total budget has prompted many corporations and universities to focus attention on this subject.” (p. 14) “The growing flexibility of options and configurations in computer systems has stimulated the user and architect alike to devote more effort to modeling and measurement as a basis for decisions. … Other factors which have influenced interest in performance analysis include a) the necessity of performance projection in hardware development, particularly due to the high initial costs of circuit integration, and b) an analogous need in complex software development projects to establish feasibility and to minimize reprogramming effort.” [Editor’s note: The following articles represent different aspects of performance evaluation. All of them deal with issues that still play a role today.]

Android Based GPS Attendance Application for Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs) Staff

In the era of globalization especially in the 21st century, information and communication technology is moving fast where various applications are developed for the convenience of users. The development of Human Resource android apps for Staff Attendance in Higher Learning Institution is developed for the human resource (HR) department. This information system is very necessary to meet the challenges of rapid technological change compared to conventional technology and will increase the effectiveness. This paper proposed how to design and build an android application that will be utilized to support the Human Resource department. Besides, to ensure the information accuracy and consistency in managing human resource and provide sufficient reports as required. The GPS module is used to track the user’s position and send it to the smartphone. Since the pandemic Covid-19 spread all over the country, most of the staff in KUIPs working from home. This system application is also very useful to universities that have several campuses where each lecturer will use the GPS system as proof of attendance to class. By using this android application Attendance System, users can use this application using their smartphone or any gadget anywhere and anytime. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) method is used for software project development. It consists of a proper plan that describes how to build, maintain, replace and modify or improve other software. The research was conducted in Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs) for Human Resource department to facilitate the management of human resources and staff in managing the affairs of employees.

Explicit Risk Management in Agile Software Projects: Its Relevance and Benefits

Risk management is the systematic process of controlling risks and it is critical to the success of all software development projects. Agile software development methodologies by the inbuilt features utilized, control risks. However, this does not work for all cases of software development projects and supplementary means may need to be applied. This can be addressed by introducing an intentional and formal way of managing risks in the agile environment. Explicit risk management promises numerous benefits if properly implemented.&#x0D; This study intends to review and deduce based on the risks identified, the relevance and benefits of formally managing risks in agile software development projects. To achieve the aim of this study, the researcher reviewed risk management procedures in a typical agile setting as well as research that exposed the insufficiency of the inherent risk management process in agile projects and the identified risks. Related research papers from peer-reviewed journals and other reliable sources were reviewed to extract risks that occurred using agile without explicit risks management. The study inferred that some risks do exist that occurred with the introduction and use of the agile method itself. Also, there could be risks that surface when the project size exceeds a limit. Thus, managing risks explicitly will go a long way to address such risks. Consequently, the researcher was able to deduce the relevance and benefits of implementing explicit risk management in an agile software development project.&#x0D; This study showed that it is beneficial to incorporate formal risk management procedures in agile software development when mega software projects are being developed. However, to maintain the agility of the agile methods which happens to be a major benefit of the utilization of agile methods, more research is needed to further explore explicit risk management in the agile environment without violating the swiftness in the agile settings.

Performance Evolution of Software Engineering Development and Project Management: A Critical Evolution Software Engineering Process

Among the many pressing concerns in the realm of computers, software project development is among the highest. System development life cycle is a part of this (SDLC). A key goal of the software development life cycle (SDLC) is to reduce the likelihood of errors while improving the quality of the final result. Without a well-defined set of steps, the software development process is a pretty complicated affair. Method established to standardize and streamline software development. The introduction of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) existence. What we have here is a methodical and organized approach to the process of creating software. Using the SDLC as a guide, entails a wide variety of steps and processes that must be completed before the final programmer is released. Software comes in many forms. Types of software development life cycles, each with their own benefits and drawbacks, are commonly employed in the software development process. Disadvantages Five of these software development life cycle (SDLC) models, including the waterfall model, the v-shaped model, and the prototype model, are presented in this study. Existing models are compared using a spiral and an iterative structure.

Method of Software Development Project Duration Estimation for Scrum Teams with Differentiated Specializations

Estimation is an essential step of software development project planning that has a significant impact on project success—underestimation often leads to problems with the delivery or even causes project failure. An important aspect that the classical estimation methods are usually missing is the Agile nature of development processes in the implementation phase. The estimation method proposed in this article aims at software development projects implemented by Scrum teams with differentiated specializations. The method is based on the authors’ system of working-time balance equations and the approach to measuring project scope with time-based units—normalized development estimates. In order to reduce efforts spent on the estimation itself, an analysis of dependencies among project tasks is not mandatory. The outputs of the methods are not recommended to be treated as commitments; instead, they are supposed to be used to inform project stakeholders about the forecasted duration of a potential project. The method is simple enough to allow even an inexpensive spreadsheet-based implementation.

On the benefits and problems related to using Definition of Done — A survey study

Context:Definition of Done (DoD) is one of the fundamental concepts of Scrum. It expresses a shared view of a Scrum Team on what makes an increment of their product complete. DoDs are often defined as checklists with items being requirements towards software (e.g., quality requirements) or towards activities performed to make the increment shippable (e.g., code reviews, testing). Unfortunately, the knowledge about the usefulness of DoD is still very limited. Objective:The goal is to study what benefits using the DoD practice can bring to an agile project, what problems it may trigger, and how it is created and maintained. Methods:In the survey among members of agile software development projects, 137 practitioners from all over the globe shared their experience with us. Results:93% of the respondents perceive DoD as at least valuable for their ventures. It helps them to make work items complete, assure product quality, and ensure the needed activities are executed. However, they indicated that every second project struggles with infeasible, incorrect, unavailable, or creeping DoD. Conclusions:It follows from the study that DoD is important but not easy to use and more empirical studies are needed to identify best practices in this area.

The Impact of Agile Development Practices on Project Outcomes

Agile software development methods were introduced to minimize problems faced using traditional software development approaches. There are several Agile approaches used in developing software projects, these include Scrum, Extreme programming and Kanban. An Agile approach focuses on collaboration between customers and developers and encourages development teams to be self-organizing. To achieve this there are different Agile practices teams choose to use in their projects. Some teams only use one practice whilst others use a combination of practices. The most common practices used are stand-ups, user stories, Burndown chart/Burnup chart, pair programming, Epic and User stories. This paper reports on the analysis of the data collected from people involved in Agile software development teams and identifies that the combination of practices in Agile software development have an impact on the communication in the team, project requirements and project priorities, with more practices being adopted correlating with better project outcomes.

A Conceptual Model of Factors Influencing Customer Relationship Management in Global Software Development: A Client Perspective

The software development industry or organizations increasingly emerging day by day have adopted global software development (GSD) practices due to the large significance of outsourcing. These industries face many challenges due to a lack of understanding customer perspective in the GSD environment. For any organization, the customer is the major stakeholder, and customer relationship management (CRM) plays a vital role in customer satisfaction with software development projects. These challenges create serious risks for any software development project’s success. Thus, CRM is a crucial challenge in the success of software projects in the GSD environment. This research study aims to address the factors that negatively influence CRM implementation in the global context and proposes a conceptual model based on the identified factors for enhancing software product quality. The systematic literature review (SLR) phase investigates the potential barriers to CRM implementation in GSD. Based on identified barriers, an initial conceptual model is developed. The proposed conceptual model is validated using a questionnaire survey of the GSD industry and CRM practitioners of Pakistan. Statistical analysis and several suitable tests are also performed to develop the final conceptual model for CRM implementation in the GSD environment. This research is performed from the client’s perspective. The results are promising and accommodating to avoid any software project failure due to customer-related issues in a GSD environment.