Critical Challenges for Requirement Implementation in Global Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review Protocol with Preliminary Results
11 Apr 2019-International Journal of Computer Applications (Foundation of Computer Science)-Vol. 182, Iss: 48, pp 17-23
TL;DR: Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is used as research method to achieve the goals and list out all challenges which the stakeholders are facing in implementing RE in the context of GSD through SLR.
Abstract: Context: Successful requirement engineering (RE) leads to successful delivery of software. There exist a lot of challenges during RE process especially in Global Software Development (GSD). The aim of this study is to find challenges during RE in context of GSD. Objective: The objective is to find and analyze the challenges in RE process. Method: Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is used as research method to achieve the goals. Result: SLR protocol is developed. Expected output of this study is to list out all challenges which the stakeholders are facing in implementing RE in the context of GSD through SLR. As a result of SLR protocol, 71 papers are identified.
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TL;DR: This study has conducted a systematic mapping study and questionnaire survey to identify and validate the barriers of the RE process with industry practitioners and developed a theoretical framework by mapping the investigated barriers into six core knowledge areas of software process improvement.
Abstract: The software organizations are outsourcing their development activities across the geographical border due to huge business gains. However, the adoption of the global software development (GSD) paradigm is not straightforward; various challenges are associated with it, particularly related to the requirements engineering (RE) process. The objective of this study is to identify the barriers to the RE process faced during GSD. To achieve this, we have conducted a systematic mapping study and questionnaire survey to identify and validate the barriers of the RE process with industry practitioners. A total of 20 barriers were identified and validated with the experts. Moreover, we have performed organization types (client and vendor), organization size (small, medium, and large) and experts’ levels (junior, intermediate, and senior) based analysis to provide a clear understanding of the RE barriers in the three different context. Besides, we have also developed a theoretical framework by mapping the investigated barriers into six core knowledge areas of software process improvement. The mapping results indicated that project administration is the most significant knowledge area of investigated barriers. We believe that the findings of this study will provide a framework that assists the GSD practitioners in developing an effective plan and strategies to improve the RE process in the GSD context.
21 citations
Cites background from "Critical Challenges for Requirement..."
...The physical distance between the development teams and client organizations make the requirements engineering process more challenging [12], [16]....
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TL;DR: The difference in time estimation with prioritization and without prioritization shows the significance of prioritization of functional requirements.
Abstract: Requirements prioritization shows significant role during effective implementation of requirements. Prioritization of requirements is not easy process particularly when requirements are large in size. The current methods of prioritization face limitations as the current prioritization techniques for functional requirements rely on the responses of stakeholders instead of prioritizing requirements on the basis of internal dependencies of one requirement on other requirements. Moreover, there is need to classify requirements on the basis of their importance i.e. how much they are needed for other requirements or dependent on other requirements. Requirements are first represented with spanning trees and then prioritized. Suggested spanning tree based approach is evaluated on requirements of ODOO ERP. Requirements are assigned to four developers. Time estimation with and without prioritization are calculated. The difference in time estimation with prioritization and without prioritization shows the significance of prioritization of functional requirements.
9 citations
Cites background from "Critical Challenges for Requirement..."
...The collected requirements should be properly managed before implementation and in this regard prioritization of requirements becomes more essential [4][5]....
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TL;DR: The proposed model will provide solutions to the challenges during requirement management and be RMM that will help vendor organizations in better management of software requirements.
Abstract: Requirements management is not easy task especially in global software development where clients and vendors are far away from each other’s. For successful implementation of any software project, proper and efficient requirements management is necessary. Purpose of this current work is development of requirements management model (RMM) that can address the factors that have positive impact and the factors that have negative impact during management of requirements. The propose model will provide solutions to the challenges during requirement management. Systematic literature review (SLR) and empirical research study will be conducted for achieving the goals and objectives. The expected results of this study will be RMM that will help vendor organizations in better management of software requirements.
6 citations
30 Apr 2020
TL;DR: A graph-based approach for prioritizing functional requirements using directed acyclic graphs for relating requirements with one another on the basis of its importance to overall project and how much it is required for other requirements is proposed.
Abstract: Requirements prioritization plays important role for a successful requirements implementation. Functional requirements, in specific, represents the specification of behavior between the inputs and outputs. They are prioritized based on the high-level requirements of the system and subsystems functionalities, as well as the type of software, expected users and the type of system where the software is used. Nonetheless, prioritization of functional requirements is very challenging considering a project where the requirements are huge. In practice, prioritization of functional requirements highly depends on stakeholders' preference for giving priorities in features selection instead of based on its internal structure and characteristics. This is because the key information in functional requirements concern on business processes, security, performance, data migration and conversion. This paper proposes a graph-based approach for prioritizing functional requirements using directed acyclic graphs for relating requirements with one another on the basis of its importance to overall project and how much it is required for other requirements. The proposed approach is then evaluated in terms of total time estimation to project completion. The experimental results showed that the graph-based approach is able to effectively prioritize functional requirements with lower estimated project completion time as compared to non-prioritized requirements. The approach will help software vendors to deliver projects well within the total project duration.
5 citations
Cites background from "Critical Challenges for Requirement..."
...Along this line, research on requirements prioritization techniques depends on the type of requirement under study whether at business level [9][10][11], non-functional level [12][13][14] or at functional level [15][16][14]....
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TL;DR: The objective of this research is to find the practices needed to successfully implement RE process and Systematic Literature Review is conducted for the identification of these practices.
Abstract: Effective requirement implementation leads to successful delivery of software. The requirement engineering (RE) is very difficult when implemented locally but the case is worst in global software development (GSD). There exist challenges such as ‘Lack of effective communication’, ‘Organizational change’, ‘Lack of coordination and collaboration’, ‘Lack of knowledge-sharing and awareness’ in GSD and to minimize the effect of these challenges success factors such as ‘Support of collaborative tools’, ‘Global project management’, ‘Requirement Engineering modelling’, and ‘Proper negotiation and discussion’ are suggested by many authors. To decrease the effect of challenges and to successfully implement success factors, practices and solutions are needed. The objective of this research is to find the practices needed to successfully implement RE process. Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is conducted for the identification of these practices
4 citations
References
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28 May 2006
TL;DR: This tutorial is designed to provide an introduction to the role, form and processes involved in performing Systematic Literature Reviews, and to gain the knowledge needed to conduct systematic reviews of their own.
Abstract: Context: Making best use of the growing number of empirical studies in Software Engineering, for making decisions and formulating research questions, requires the ability to construct an objective summary of available research evidence. Adopting a systematic approach to assessing and aggregating the outcomes from a set of empirical studies is also particularly important in Software Engineering, given that such studies may employ very different experimental forms and be undertaken in very different experimental contexts.Objectives: To provide an introduction to the role, form and processes involved in performing Systematic Literature Reviews. After the tutorial, participants should be able to read and use such reviews, and have gained the knowledge needed to conduct systematic reviews of their own.Method: We will use a blend of information presentation (including some experiences of the problems that can arise in the Software Engineering domain), and also of interactive working, using review material prepared in advance.
4,352 citations
TL;DR: This work uses both data from the source code change management system and survey data to model the extent of delay in a distributed software development organization and explores several possible mechanisms for this delay.
Abstract: Global software development is rapidly becoming the norm for technology companies. Previous qualitative research suggests that distributed development may increase development cycle time for individual work items (modification requests). We use both data from the source code change management system and survey data to model the extent of delay in a distributed software development organization and explore several possible mechanisms for this delay. One key finding is that distributed work items appear to take about two and one-half times as long to complete as similar items where all the work is colocated. The data strongly suggest a mechanism for the delay, i.e., that distributed work items involve more people than comparable same-site work items, and the number of people involved is strongly related to the calendar time to complete a work item. We replicate the analysis of change data in a different organization with a different product and different sites and confirm our main findings. We also report survey results showing differences between same-site and distributed social networks, testing several hypotheses about characteristics of distributed social networks that may be related to delay. We discuss implications of our findings for practices and collaboration technology that have the potential for dramatically speeding distributed software development.
1,018 citations
TL;DR: A model is constructed of how remote communication and knowledge management, cultural diversity and time differences negatively impact requirements gathering, negotiations and specifications in a multi-site organisation.
Abstract: The increasing globalisation of the software industry demands an investigation of requirements engineering (RE) in multi-site software development organisations Requirements engineering is a task difficult enough when done locally--but it is even more difficult when cross-functional stakeholder groups specify requirements across cultural, language and time zone boundaries This paper reports on a field study that investigated RE challenges introduced by the stakeholders' geographical distribution in a multi-site organisation The goal was to examine RE practices in global software development, and to formulate recommendations for improvement as well as to provide directions for future research on methods and tools Based on the empirical evidence, we have constructed a model of how remote communication and knowledge management, cultural diversity and time differences negatively impact requirements gathering, negotiations and specifications Findings reveal that aspects such as a lack of a common understanding of requirements, together with a reduced awareness of a working local context, a trust level and an ability to share work artefacts significantly challenge the effective collaboration of remote stakeholders in negotiating a set of requirements that satisfies geographically distributed customers The paper concludes with recommendations for improving RE practices in this setting
254 citations
"Critical Challenges for Requirement..." refers background in this paper
...Damian [11] building trust in GSD is very difficult because there are some factors which are necessary for trust building like face to face meeting and proper discussions but due to distance and culture diversity building trust becomes challenge....
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TL;DR: The article revisits stakeholders' needs in global RE, discusses the challenges they face in distributed interaction, and offers practical advice to alleviate these challenges.
Abstract: Due to its communication and collaboration-intensive nature, as well as inherent interaction with most other development processes, the practice of requirements engineering is becoming a key challenge in global software engineering (GSE). In distributed projects, cross-functional stakeholder groups must specify and manage requirements across cultural, time-zone, and organizational boundaries. This creates a unique set of problems, not only when an organization opens new development subsidiaries across the world but also when software development is a multiorganizational business affair. We need innovative processes and technologies to manage stakeholders' expectations and interaction in global projects. This article reports on the state of the practice, drawn from industrial empirical studies, of stakeholders' interaction in global RE. The article revisits stakeholders' needs in global RE, discusses the challenges they face in distributed interaction, and offers practical advice to alleviate these challenges, as distilled from empirical studies of GSE practice
231 citations
"Critical Challenges for Requirement..." refers background in this paper
...The RE is difficult when implemented it locally but in case of GSD the case is worst because there exists some challenges like culture difference, physical and geographical change, language and terminology difference, lack of face to face conversation and time zone difference [3-5]....
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...According to Daniela Damian [4] the cause of improper conversation is due to time difference because most of the time if there is a night in one country the other country has day so difficult to communicate....
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TL;DR: A number of challenging issues were found, including bridging communication gaps between marketing and development, selecting the right level of process support, basing the release plan on uncertain estimates, and managing the constant flow of requirements.
Abstract: Requirements engineering for market-driven software development entails special challenges. This paper presents results from an empirical study that investigates these challenges, taking a qualitative approach using interviews with fourteen employees at eight software companies and a focus group meeting with practitioners. The objective of the study is to increase the understanding of the area of market-driven requirements engineering and provide suggestions for future research by describing encountered challenges. A number of challenging issues were found, including bridging communication gaps between marketing and development, selecting the right level of process support, basing the release plan on uncertain estimates, and managing the constant flow of requirements.
200 citations