Aurora Vizcaíno

Bio: Aurora Vizcaíno is an academic researcher from University of Castilla–La Mancha. The author has contributed to research in topics: Software development & Requirements elicitation. The author has an hindex of 23, co-authored 159 publications receiving 2185 citations. Previous affiliations of Aurora Vizcaíno include University of Calgary.

Challenges and improvements in distributed software development: a systematic review

Abstract: Distributed Software Development (DSD) has recently evolved, resulting in an increase in the available literature. Organizations now have a tendency to make greater development efforts in more attractive zones. The main advantage of this lies in a greater availability of human resources in decentralized zones at less cost. There are, however, some disadvantages which are caused by the distance that separates the development teams. Coordination and communication become more difficult as the software components are sourced from different places, thus affecting project organization, project control, and product quality. New processes and tools are consequently necessary. This work presents the findings of a systematic review of the literature related to the challenges concerning Distributed Software Development, whose purpose is to identify the solutions and improvements proposed up to the present day.

Collaboration Tools for Global Software Engineering

Abstract: Software engineering involves people collaborating to develop better software. Collaboration is challenging, especially across time zones and without face-to-face meetings. We therefore use collaboration tools all along the product life cycle to let us work together, stay together, and achieve results together. This article summarizes experiences and trends chosen from recent IEEE International Conference on Global Software Engineering (IGSCE) conferences.

Tools used in Global Software Engineering: A systematic mapping review

Abstract: Context: This systematic mapping review is set in a Global Software Engineering (GSE) context, characterized by a highly distributed environment in which project team members work separately in different countries. This geographic separation creates specific challenges associated with global communication, coordination and control. Objective: The main goal of this study is to discover all the available communication and coordination tools that can support highly distributed teams, how these tools have been applied in GSE, and then to describe and classify the tools to allow both practitioners and researchers involved in GSE to make use of the available tool support in GSE. Method: We performed a systematic mapping review through a search for studies that answered our research question, ''Which software tools (commercial, free or research based) are available to support Global Software Engineering?'' Applying a range of related search terms to key electronic databases, selected journals, and conferences and workshops enabled us to extract relevant papers. We then used a data extraction template to classify, extract and record important information about the GSD tools from each paper. This information was synthesized and presented as a general map of types of GSD tools, the tool's main features and how each tool was validated in practice. Results: The main result is a list of 132 tools, which, according to the literature, have been, or are intended to be, used in global software projects. The classification of these tools includes lists of features for communication, coordination and control as well as how the tool has been validated in practice. We found that out the total of 132, the majority of tools were developed at research centers, and only a small percentage of tools (18.9%) are reported as having been tested outside the initial context in which they were developed. Conclusion: The most common features in the GSE tools included in this study are: team activity and social awareness, support for informal communication, Support for Distributed Knowledge Management and Interoperability with other tools. Finally, there is the need for an evaluation of these tools to verify their external validity, or usefulness in a wider global environment.

Requirements engineering tools: Capabilities, survey and assessment

Abstract: Context: There is a significant number of requirements engineering (RE) tools with different features and prices. However, existing RE tool lists do not provide detailed information about the features of the tools that they catalogue. It would therefore be interesting for both practitioners and tool developers to be aware of the state-of-the-art as regards RE tools. Objective: This paper presents the results of a survey answered by RE tool vendors. The purpose of the survey was to gain an insight into how current RE tools support the RE process by means of concrete capabilities, and to what degree. Method: The ISO/IEC TR 24766:2009 is a framework for assessing RE tools' capabilities. A 146-item questionnaire based principally on the features covered by this international guideline was sent to major tool vendors worldwide. A descriptive statistical study was then carried out to provide comparability, and bivariate correlation tests were also applied to measure the association between different variables. A sample of the tools was subjected to neutral assessment and an interrater reliability analysis was performed to ensure the reliability of the results. Results: The 38 participants sent back their answers. Most tools are delivered under a proprietary license, and their licenses are not free. A growing number of them facilitate Web access. Moreover, requirements elicitation exemplifies the best supported category of features in this study, whereas requirements modeling and management are the most badly supported categories. Conclusion: The RE process seems to be well covered by current RE tools, but there is still a certain margin for amelioration, principally with regard to requirements modeling, open data model and data integration features. These subjects represent areas for improvement for RE tool developers. Practitioners might also obtain useful ideas from the study to be taken into account when selecting an appropriate RE tool to be successfully applied to their work.

An ontology for the management of software maintenance projects

Abstract: Different proposals exist to represent the software maintenance process. However most of them are very informal or too focussed on a specific goal. We have developed a semi-formal ontology where the main concepts, according to the literature related to software maintenance, have been described. This ontology, besides representing static aspects, also represents dynamic issues related to the management of software maintenance projects. In order to develop an ontology a suitable methodology should also be followed. REFSENO was the methodology used in this work. The ontology that this work presents is not a preliminary idea but it has already been used in software maintenance environments, such as MANTIS, which is currently working successfully.

The knowledge-creating company : how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation

Abstract: How has Japan become a major economic power, a world leader in the automotive and electronics industries? What is the secret of their success? The consensus has been that, though the Japanese are not particularly innovative, they are exceptionally skilful at imitation, at improving products that already exist. But now two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hiro Takeuchi, turn this conventional wisdom on its head: Japanese firms are successful, they contend, precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. Examining case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, 3M, GE, and the U.S. Marines, this book reveals how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge and use it to produce new processes, products, and services.

The knowledge-creating company

Abstract: How have Japanese companies become world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries, among others? What is the secret of their success? Two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. In The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi provide an inside look at how Japanese companies go about creating this new knowledge organizationally. The authors point out that there are two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in manuals and procedures, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience, and communicated only indirectly, through metaphor and analogy. U.S. managers focus on explicit knowledge. The Japanese, on the other hand, focus on tacit knowledge. And this, the authors argue, is the key to their success--the Japanese have learned how to transform tacit into explicit knowledge. To explain how this is done--and illuminate Japanese business practices as they do so--the authors range from Greek philosophy to Zen Buddhism, from classical economists to modern management gurus, illustrating the theory of organizational knowledge creation with case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, Nissan, 3M, GE, and even the U.S. Marines. For instance, using Matsushita's development of the Home Bakery (the world's first fully automated bread-baking machine for home use), they show how tacit knowledge can be converted to explicit knowledge: when the designers couldn't perfect the dough kneading mechanism, a software programmer apprenticed herself withthe master baker at Osaka International Hotel, gained a tacit understanding of kneading, and then conveyed this information to the engineers. In addition, the authors show that, to create knowledge, the best management style is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but rather what they call "middle-up-down," in which the middle managers form a bridge between the ideals of top management and the chaotic realities of the frontline. As we make the turn into the 21st century, a new society is emerging. Peter Drucker calls it the "knowledge society," one that is drastically different from the "industrial society," and one in which acquiring and applying knowledge will become key competitive factors. Nonaka and Takeuchi go a step further, arguing that creating knowledge will become the key to sustaining a competitive advantage in the future. Because the competitive environment and customer preferences changes constantly, knowledge perishes quickly. With The Knowledge-Creating Company, managers have at their fingertips years of insight from Japanese firms that reveal how to create knowledge continuously, and how to exploit it to make successful new products, services, and systems.