Showing papers presented at "International Conference on Global Software Engineering in 2009"

Using Scrum in Global Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: There is a growing interest in applying agile practices in Global Software Development (GSD) projects. The literature on using Scrum, one of the most popular agile approaches, in distributed development projects has steadily been growing. However, there has not been any effort to systematically select, review, and synthesize the literature on this topic. We have conducted a systematic literature review of the primary studies that report using Scrum practices in GSD projects. Our search strategy identified 366 papers, of which 20 were identified as primary papers relevant to our research. We extracted data from these papers to identify various challenges of using Scrum in GSD. Current strategies to deal with the identified challenges have also been extracted. This paper presents the review’s findings that are expected to help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them.

Using Scrum in Distributed Agile Development: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract: Distributed agile development (DAD) has received increasing interest both in industry and academia as global software development (GSD) is becoming main-stream. However, agile methods and in particular agile practices have been designed for collocated software development, and are thus not directly applicable to DAD. In this paper, we present findings from a multiple case study on agile practices in two small and one mid-sized distributed Scrum project. Based on an interview study of 19 project team members, we describe how Scrum practices, such as daily scrums, backlogs, and sprints were successfully adopted to distributed development. We also describe supporting GSD practices employed, such as frequent visits and multiple communication modes that the projects used. Finally, we depict the challenges and benefits the case projects reported, as well as lessons learned from applying Scrum in distributed settings.

Critical Success Factors for Offshore Software Development Outsourcing Vendors: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: CONTEXT – Offshore software development outsourcing is a modern business strategy for producing high quality software at low cost. OBJECTIVE – To identify various Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that have a positive impact on software outsourcing clients in the selection process of offshore software development outsourcing vendors. METHOD – We have performed a Systematic Literature Review process for the identification of factors in the selection process of offshore software development outsourcing vendors. RESULTS – We have identified factors ‘cost-saving’, ‘skilled human resource’, ‘appropriate infrastructure’ and ‘quality of product and services’ that are generally considered important by the outsourcing clients. The results also reveal the similarities and differences in the factors identified in different continents. CONCLUSIONS – Cost-saving should not be considered as the only prime factor in the selection process of software development outsourcing vendors. Vendors should have to address other factors in order to compete in the offshore outsourcing business.

Knowledge Management in Distributed Software Development Teams - Does Culture Matter?

Abstract: Software development requires complex context specific knowledge regarding the particularities of different technologies, the potential of existing software and the needs and expectations of the users. Hence, efficient knowledge management counts amongst the most important challenges for software teams. In international teams, one of the most important issues regarding knowledge sharing is the impact of culture under different aspects: national, organizational and professional. There seem to be very few studies dealing with the issue of culture in regard to knowledge management practices in GSE. We want to contribute to the discussion by presenting case studies of small size software teams dealing with international software development in the context of offshoring. In doing so, we illustrate how cultural and social issues influence the way knowledge exchange is performed by analyzing several knowledge management practices, considering the role of meetings, artifacts and tools, knowledge brokers and mutual visits between sites.

A Survey on the State of the Practice in Distributed Software Development: Criteria for Task Allocation

Abstract: The allocation of tasks can be seen as a success-critical management activity in distributed development projects. However, such task allocation is still one of the major challenges in global software development due to an insufficient understanding of the criteria that influence task allocation decisions. This article presents a qualitative study aimed at identifying and understanding such criteria that are used in practice. Based on interviews with managers from selected software development organizations, criteria currently applied in industry are identified. One important result is, for instance, that the sourcing strategy and the type of software to be developed have a significant effect on the applied criteria. The article presents the goals, design, and results of the study as well as an overview of related and future work.

Leveraging or Exploiting Cultural Difference

Abstract: Due to the expanding trend to globalise software development organisations need to understand and address issues which previously did not arise. Cultural distance has been identified as one of these key issues. This paper presents the results from a three year study which identified the implications of misunderstanding and not addressing cultural differences. This work was undertaken within a multinational organisation which offshored part of their software development process from Ireland to Malaysia. Of particular relevance was where cultural difference was initially perceived as something which could be leveraged. The opposite proved to be the case and resulted in key Malaysian personnel being forced to leave the organisation. This was due to their cultural aversion to decline requests to undertake additional work. This resulted in serious implications for the success of the projects concerned. Ultimately the requirement for cultural training was recognized by the management and staff at both locations.

Risks and Safeguards for the Requirements Engineering Process in Global Software Development

Abstract: The rise of new development paradigms such as Global Software Development (GSD) forces Requirements Engineering (RE) to face up to new challenges and risks not common in traditional development models. When an organization first embarks upon a GSD project it exposes itself to plenty of risks. Many of these risks appear as a result of the lack of experience of the development team on GSD projects. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) has led to the compilation of a repository which gathers the risks that concern RE when developed in a distributed software development environment, as well as a set of safeguards, which help overcoming such risks. This repository, open to progressive enrichment, provides a novel basis to assist in RE activities for GSD projects. It could be especially useful when the developers have little experience in distributed projects and cannot prevent communication, distance, cultural, or organizational risks. Although the repository collects the main contributions from published work in the field, it has not been validated on real GSD projects yet.

Factors Affecting Audio and Text-Based Communication Media Choice in Global Software Development Projects

Abstract: Software development as a knowledge intensive activity involves high requirements for communication and collaboration between its practitioners. In global software development, geographical, cultural and language distances bring additional challenges to communication. While text-based communication is very common in global software projects, recent improvements in telecommunications technology and network infrastructure have enabled ad-hoc audio conferencing as an economically feasible and available communication medium. Media richness theory suggests audio conferencing as a richer medium to have potential in leveraging uncertainty and equivocality, while media synchronicity theory suggests using multiple communication media to accomplish a task. This empirical qualitative study is based on 57 interviews from eight global software development projects. We discovered that self-conception of poor language skills leads to preference to use text-based communication media. We also found out that technical personnel tends to prefer text-based communication media more than non-technical team members.

CAMEL: A Tool for Collaborative Distributed Software Design

Abstract: Software design activities require rich communication channels where developers can exchange information in multiple ways. It is well established that geographic distribution impacts negatively on the effectiveness of design meetings. In this paper, we present a tool for supporting virtual software design meetings. The features of the tool address four fundamental challenges identified from the literature: (1) information sharing, conflict resolution and development of consensus among geographically distributed designers, (2) availability of sufficient and organizable drawing surfaces for graphical representations, (3) developing shared understanding and managing focus during the discussion and (4) appropriate capturing and storing of all design-relevant information.

In Strangers We Trust? Findings of an Empirical Study of Distributed Teams

Abstract: Trust has long been a contentious issue in human endeavours. It is not readily given nor gained, more so when strangers are involved. It often becomes an issue during distributed development where individuals are expected to interact with strangers they may not “meet” during the project lifetime. Trust was spontaneously raised by respondents in an empirical study of practices within distributed development and is reported in this paper. A qualitative analysis of study data suggests that trust typically becomes an issue in large teams when developers are to deliver an innovative product. We also found that it is more likely to be an issue the greater the diversity (of culture, language, time zone…etc.) within the team. Finally the data also suggests that developers more readily trust an authoritative team member (e.g. team leader), even if remote. Data suggests these factors can act as positive and negative forces to influence trust within distributed teams. These forces are reported in this paper together with proposed approaches that can promote equilibrium of the net forces.

Communication, Knowledge and Co-ordination Management in Globally Distributed Software Development: Informed by a scientific Software Engineering Case Study

Abstract: With the global distribution of scientific and software engineering skills and with the need to foster multidisciplinary research collaboration across organisations result in teams dispersed separated by time and distance. However to attain the potential benefits of such collaboration, there is a critical need for a better management of communication, knowledge and co-ordination across distributed teams. The importance of these factors is becoming increasingly known to organisations requiring them to develop methods and enabling mechanisms in need for more successful and efficient collaboration outcomes. This paper discusses and emphasises the importance of managing these factors in distributed software engineering projects based on experiences drawn from an international scientific research and software engineering project (ePCRN). It presents their impact on the collaborative process and how they may hinder the progress of the software development process. It also presents the methods and mechanisms used in the project to address some of these factors

Goal and Risk Factors in Offshore Outsourced Software Development from Vendor's Viewpoint

Abstract: Reducing production cost is vital for ensuring sustainable competitive strength. This is particularly true in software development, in which there has been a move from in-house development to global and now also to offshore-outsourced software development. In offshore outsourcing, development activities are most often moved to low-cost development environments that are locally managed. However, this type of outsourcing is not without problems. Most development projects are complex, and moving control and responsibility away from the client increase complexity. But, there is a trade-off between cost and complexity and control, as well as an increased chance of failure of the project. This paper contributes to identify the goals from the early development components and risk factors threatening the goals to fulfill. A goal-driven software development risk management modeling (GSRM) propose to supports this task. We conducted a study based on Delphi survey process to obtain the goals and the risk factors in a different cultural environment for the offshore vendors in Bangladesh.

How Technological Support Can Enable Advantages of Agile Software Development in a GSE Setting

Abstract: Because of the distance between the dispersed development locations, Global Software Engineering (GSE) is confronted with challenges regarding communication, coordination and control of the development work. At the same time, agile software development is strongly built upon communication between engineers and has proven its benefits, although, mostly on one single site. As such, it might be advantageous to combine GSE with agile development. This blend however is not straightforward since the distributed and agile development approaches might have conflicting convictions. In this paper we will discuss the advantages and challenges of combining GSE with agile development based on a theoretical, literature-based research. The main results presented in this paper are: (i) aspects of agile software development, (ii) benefits and challenges associated with these in relation to GSE, (iii) categories of technological support for agile GSE and (iv) a framework depicting the mutual relations among them.

Linguistic Challenges in Global Software Development: Lessons Learned in an International SW Development Division

Abstract: In multinational companies, English is used more and more as a "lingua franca" for international collaboration. This is for example true for a unit like Siemens’ Program and System Engineering Division SIS PSE, with headquarters in Austria and subsidiary units in many European countries and China. This article will initially present the concept of ELF (English as a lingua franca), which is steadily gaining importance in applied linguistics research. The main part of this article will outline the practical challenges of using English as a non-native language in international collaboration, including examples of oral and written communication (such as meetings, meeting minutes, training, and requirements specifications). It will be argued that these linguistic challenges are closely connected with intercultural ones. Dealing professionally with these topics is a key asset for project success, especially in project management and requirements engineering.

A Coordination Risk Analysis Method for Multi-site Projects: Experience Report

Abstract: It has been widely recognized that coordination amongst the people involved in developing a software intensive system is required for successful completion. Many projects, particularly those with team members separated by geographic distance, have an impeded ability to coordinate amongst some project members, which may cause a mismatch between the need of the project to coordinate and the ability to coordinate resulting in coordination break downs. This paper presents a Coordination Risk Analysis method for determining the significant coordination mismatches before they become an issue and experiences applying this method to geographically distributed projects.

Requirements Reasoning for Distributed Requirements Analysis Using Semantic Wiki

Abstract: In large-scale collaborative software projects, thousands of requirements with complex interdependencies and different granularity spreading in different levels are elicited, documented, and evolved during the project lifecycle. Non-technical stakeholders involved in requirements engineering activities rarely apply formal techniques; therefore it is infeasible to automatically detect problems in requirements. This situation becomes even worse in a distributed context when all sites are responsible to maintain their own requirements list using various requirements models and management tools, and the detection of requirements problems across multiple sites is error-prone, and unaffordable if performed manually. This paper proposes an integrated approach of basing distributed requirements analysis on semantic wiki by requirements reasoning. First, the functions concerning reasoning support provided by semantic wiki for requirements analysis are proposed. Second, the underlying requirements rationale model for requirements reasoning is presented with sample reasoning rules. Third, our rationale model is mapped to the WinWin requirements negotiation model which further adds to its credibility.

Management at the Outsourcing Destination - Global Software Development in India

Abstract: In Global Software Engineering Research, there have been many studies carried out from the perspective of the company who is outsourcing software development. However, very few studies focus on the companies to whom the software development is being outsourced. In this paper, we highlight India as a major outsourcing destination and present experience from companies that manage outsourced software development. In carrying out this activity, Indian software companies have confronted various issues which are local, remote, internal and external and for which solutions have been instigated. This paper presents research carried out within Indian software companies in which we investigated issues faced when implementing global software development and the solutions used by these companies. We present these solutions so that they can be followed by other outsourcing destinations thus enabling them to operate successfully across geographical, national and international cultural boundaries.

TAMRI: A Tool for Supporting Task Distribution in Global Software Development Projects

Abstract: The distribution of tasks to sites is one central activity in global software development project planning. Due to the large number of assignment possibilities, tool support seems to be adequate for supporting the evaluation and selection of task assignments. We present TAMRI, a planning tool for identifying task assignments based on multiple criteria and weighted project goals. Its implementation combines a distributed systems approach with Bayesian networks. The tool can be adapted to specific organizational environments by exchanging the underlying Bayesian network. The article presents an overview of task distribution approaches, gives three application scenarios for the tool, and shows the implementation of the tool as well as its application in the scenarios.

Cultural Aspects of Global Requirements Engineering: An Empirical Chinese-German Case Study

Abstract: Global software development places extremely high demands on requirements engineering. Learning to combine requirements engineering techniques across national, cultural and language borders presents unique challenges for developers. In this paper, we explore the significant cultural challenges to requirements engineering in global software development. As an empirical case study, we look at the difficulties involved in applying requirements engineering methods to a joint Chinese-German software project.

Exploring Collaboration Patterns among Global Software Development Teams

Abstract: This study examines communication behaviors in global software student teams. The authors of the paper characterize the types of communication behaviors that occur when student teams are engaged in a software development project. The authors present findings from a one-semester study that examined factors contributing to successful distributed programming interactions among students enrolled at the University of Atilim (Turkey), Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, University of North Texas, and Middlesex University (UK). Using content and cluster analyses techniques, we identified distinct patterns of collaboration and examined how these patterns were associated with task, culture, GPA, and performance of collaborative teams. Our results suggest that communication patterns among global software learners may be related to task type, culture and GPA. It is hoped that these findings will lead to the development of new strategies for improving communication among global software teams.

The Usefulness of Architectural Knowledge Management Practices in GSD

Abstract: Practices for architectural knowledge management (AKM) may alleviate the challenges involved with GSD. We have conducted empirical research at a large Dutch IT service provider to validate a set of practices for architectural knowledge management in GSD and to specifically investigate the relation between the number of sites and the perceived usefulness of these practices. The results show that AKM practices supporting a personalization strategy towards knowledge management are perceived to be more useful than practices that support a codification strategy. Further, the usefulness of AKM practices in general is confirmed. Finally, we observe a peak in the perceived usefulness of AKM practices in projects that evolved to a multi-site situation. This high perceived usefulness denotes a more critical need to plan for AKM practices in advance.

Experience with Training a Remotely Located Performance Test Team in a Quasi-agile Global Environment

Abstract: We describe our experience of training a remotely located team of developers and testers to prepare and execute performance tests. The team is located in India. The lead performance engineer and the test project manager are based in New Jersey. The team members had little or no prior experience of performance testing. We describe how we overcame cultural differences and a large time difference to develop a performance testing team that is now functioning well with far less supervision than was required at its inception. Cultural differences included contrasting views on adherence to strict laboratory procedures and assumptions about the prior knowledge, experience, and expectations of working habits of the India-based and New Jersey-based teams. We show how these differences and organizational challenges were overcome with intensive on-site training, the use of twice-daily scrum meetings, the careful designation of team leaders and role players at the remote testing site, and, eventually, the development intensive use of automated tools to execute performance tests and track the results.

Descriptive Analysis of Fear and Distrust in Early Phases of GSD Projects

Abstract: When globally distributed software development (GSD) is understood as knowledge intensive collaborative work, many of the reasons for problems encountered in GSD projects can be traced back to social conditions framing the collaboration between people at onsite and offsite. A total of 59 interviews were conducted in 8 GSD projects of two major software companies located in Finland. As a result of categorization of problems related to group relations in GSD projects, the lack of trust between onsite and offsite and fears of losing jobs at onsite was found as major problems in the early phases of the projects. Our analysis suggests that poorly communicated reasons GSD can cause severe problems in collaboration between people by laying the ground for fears and for distrust between sites. The study contributes to the GSD research by creating a novel empirical description of the linkages between fear and distrust in GSD.

Global Sourcing of Software Development - A Review of Tools and Services

Abstract: Software services in a globally distributed environment face signi?cant management challenges. All phases of the software life-cycle need to be aligned to the distributed development environment. This challenge has been led to the development of a variety of tools and services. This paper identi?es tools and services aiming at the optimisation of the globally distributed software development. Software-as-a-service seems to be a promising approach to optimise the globally distributed software development. The characteristics and advantages of Software-as-a-service in regards to globally distributed software development are discussed. The paper concludes with a closing discussion of the identi?ed tools and services.

Selecting Locations for Follow-the-Sun Software Development: Towards a Routing Model

Abstract: Deciding where to establish development locations is a strategic decision in the field of Follow-the-Sun software development. Our research has focussed on two factors: a. the optimal time zone difference between locations, and b. the natural ease of communication. The former depends on the required transfer time for handing over work from one location to the other. The latter involves communication aspects such as language. The objective is to construct a routing model, which calculates (sub)optimal deployment routes. The routing model consists of an algorithm that calculates sequences of locations from a dataset containing demographic data about these locations. The possible sequences are prioritized based on a set of parameters. The routing model has been implemented in a website. The website can be used to validate the routing model, but moreover can be used as a first support when considering potential locations for Follow-the-Sun software development.

Quality Indicators on Global Software Development Projects: Does "Getting to Know You" Really Matter?

Abstract: In Spring 2008, five student teams were put into competition to develop software for a Cambodian client. Each extended team comprised students distributed across a minimum of three locations, drawn from the US, India, Thailand and Cambodia. This paper describes a couple of exercises conducted with students to examine their basic awareness of the countries of their collaborators and competitors, and to assess their knowledge of their own extended team members during the course of the project. The results from these exercises are examined in conjunction with the high-level communication patterns exhibited by the participating teams and provisional findings are drawn with respect to quality, as measured through a final product selection process. Initial implications for practice are discussed.

An Empirical Approach for the Assessment of Scheduling Risk in a Large Globally Distributed Industrial Software Project

Abstract: We describe an empirical approach for the assessment of the scheduling risk in a large globally distributed industrial software project. We analyzed two and half years of project data and we identified some factors that are likely to impact team productivity and that could affect the team’s ability to meet its schedule objective. We built an analytical model to capture team’s productivity variability, which can be used to approximate the total time required to complete the project. Our approach is designed to be used by project management groups to perform risk assessment early in the software development process.

Identification of Success and Failure Factors of Two Agile Software Development Teams in an Open Source Organization

Abstract: Agile Software Development Methods and Free/Libre Open Source Development have been two embracing movements in the software industry for more than a decade. However, little is known about the composition of both while today a variety of studies provide us with key characteristics of each one. The study extracts the similarities and differences of both topics by means of an extensive literature review focusing on teams as research unit. Furthermore this study investigates two agile software development teams in an open source organization based on an explorative research design. The focus is on the empirical identi?cation of success and failure in the application of agile methods in teams with open source background, structure and characteristics and in comparison with the literature ?ndings. This study is still in progress, however ?rst results as well as the methodology will be presented hereafter.

Quality in Global Software Development Projects: A Closer Look at the Role of Distribution

Abstract: The impact of distribution on global software development project is well established. Most of the empirical work has focused of a single dimension of distribution such as geographical distance or difference in time zones across locations, leaving other important dimensions of distribution unexplored. In this paper, we take a multi-dimensional view of distribution. In particular, we examined the impact of the nature of the distribution of development teams as well as the nature of the distribution of work on project quality using data from 189 distributed software development projects. Our analysis revealed that projects with uneven distributions of developers across locations were more likely to exhibit higher levels of defects than those projects with balanced distributions. Similarly, projects with uneven distributions of development effort across locations were more likely to exhibit higher levels of defects than those projects with balanced distributions.

A Comparison of Team Performance Measures for Global Software Development Student Teams

Abstract: One of the most difficult tasks for global software development researchers is quantifying the performance of groups and students who participate in these distributed projects. There has been much debate about which factors better correlate with team performance and which best describe a successful team. The purpose of this paper is to compare the different approaches that have been used to evaluate the performance of global software learners and show how these techniques can affect research results. Using data from student groups engaged in global software development projects for the past year, the authors apply a number of different assessment methods and show their effects on different performance indicators. Our study suggests that the selection of appropriate measures to evaluate team performance can dramatically affect how one identifies successful teams.