514,899 research outputs found
An empirical study on the implementation and evaluation of a goal-driven software development risk management model
Context: Building a quality software product in the shortest possible time to satisfy the global
market demand gives an enterprise a competitive advantage. However, uncertainties and risks exist at every stage of a software development project. These can have an extremely high influence on the success of the final software product. Early risk management practice
is effective to manage such risks and contributes effectively towards the project success. Objective:Despite risk management approaches, a detailed guideline that explains where to integrate risk management activities into the project is still missing. Little effort has been directed towards the evaluation of the overall impact of a risk management method. We
present a Goal-driven Software Development Risk Management Model (GSRM) and its explicit integration into the requirements engineering phase and an empirical investigation result of applying GSRM into a project.
Method:We combined case study method with action research. This allows to guide the development team for managing risks and to attain goals as well as to identify ways to improve the proposed methodology. The data is from multiple sources and analysed both qualitative
and quantitative way. Results: When risk factors are beyond the control of the project manager and project environment then it is difficult to control these risks. Project scope affects all dimensions of risk. GSRM is a reasonable risk management method that can be employed in an industrial context. The study results compare with other existing study results, to generalize findings
and to identify contextual factors. Conclusion: A formal early stage risk management practice provides early warning related to the problems that exists in the project and contributes to the overall project success. It is not necessary to always consider budget and schedule constraints top priority. There exist issues such as requirements, change management, and user satisfaction influence these
constraints
A reactive architecture for cloud-based system engineering
PhD ThesisSoftware system engineering is increasingly practised over globally distributed locations. Such a practise is termed as Global Software Development (GSD). GSD has become a business necessity mainly because of the
scarcity of resources, cost, and the need to locate development closer to
the customers. GSD is highly dependent on requirements management,
but system requirements continuously change. Poorly managed change in
requirements affects the overall cost, schedule and quality of GSD projects.
It is particularly challenging to manage and trace such changes, and hence
we require a rigorous requirement change management (RCM) process.
RCM is not trivial in collocated software development; and with the presence of geographical, cultural, social and temporal factors, it makes RCM
profoundly difficult for GSD. Existing RCM methods do not take into
consideration these issues faced in GSD. Considering the state-of-the-art
in RCM, design and analysis of architecture, and cloud accountability,
this work contributes:
1. an alternative and novel mechanism for effective information and
knowledge-sharing towards RCM and traceability.
2. a novel methodology for the design and analysis of small-to-medium
size cloud-based systems, with a particular focus on the trade-off of
quality attributes.
3. a dependable framework that facilitates the RCM and traceability
method for cloud-based system engineering.
4. a novel methodology for assuring cloud accountability in terms of
dependability.
5. a cloud-based framework to facilitate the cloud accountability methodology.
The results show a traceable RCM linkage between system engineering
processes and stakeholder requirements for cloud-based GSD projects,
which is better than existing approaches. Also, the results show an improved dependability assurance of systems interfacing with the unpredictable cloud environment. We reach the conclusion that RCM with
a clear focus on traceability, which is then facilitated by a dependable
framework, improves the chance of developing a cloud-based GSD project
successfully
Customising software products in distributed software development a model for allocating customisation requirements across organisational boundaries
Requirements engineering plays a vital role in the software development process. While it is difficult to manage those requirements locally, it is even more difficult to communicate those requirements over organisational boundaries and to convey them to multiple distribution customers. This paper discusses the requirements of multiple distribution customers empirically in the context of customised software products. The main purpose is to understand the challenges of communicating and allocating customisation requirements across distributed organisational boundaries. We conducted an empirical survey with 19 practitioners, which confirmed that communicating customisation requirements in a DSD context is a significant challenge. We therefore propose a model for allocating customisation requirements between a local, customer-based agile team and a distributed development team that uses a traditional development approach. Our conjecture is that the model would reduce the challenge of communicating requirements across organisational boundaries, address customers’ requirements and provide a focus for future empirical studies
Flexible Global Software Development (GSD): Antecedents of Success in Requirements Analysis
Globalization of software development has resulted in a rapid shift away from the traditional collocated, on-site development model, to the offshoring model. Emerging trends indicate an increasing interest in offshoring even in early phases like requirements analysis. Additionally, the flexibility offered by the agile development approach makes it attractive for adaptation in globally distributed software work. A question of significance then is what impacts the success of offshoring earlier phases, like requirements analysis, in a flexible and globally distributed environment? This article incorporates the stance of control theory to posit a research model that examines antecedent factors such as requirements change, facilitation by vendor and client site-coordinators, control, and computer-mediated communication. The impact of these factors on success of requirements analysis projects in a “flexible” global setting is tested using two quasi-experiments involving students from Management Development Institute, India and Marquette University, USA. Results indicate that formal modes of control significantly influence project success during requirements analysis. Further, facilitation by both client and vendor site coordinators positively impacts requirements analysis success
Video Game Development in a Rush: A Survey of the Global Game Jam Participants
Video game development is a complex endeavor, often involving complex
software, large organizations, and aggressive release deadlines. Several
studies have reported that periods of "crunch time" are prevalent in the video
game industry, but there are few studies on the effects of time pressure. We
conducted a survey with participants of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), a 48-hour
hackathon. Based on 198 responses, the results suggest that: (1) iterative
brainstorming is the most popular method for conceptualizing initial
requirements; (2) continuous integration, minimum viable product, scope
management, version control, and stand-up meetings are frequently applied
development practices; (3) regular communication, internal playtesting, and
dynamic and proactive planning are the most common quality assurance
activities; and (4) familiarity with agile development has a weak correlation
with perception of success in GGJ. We conclude that GGJ teams rely on ad hoc
approaches to development and face-to-face communication, and recommend some
complementary practices with limited overhead. Furthermore, as our findings are
similar to recommendations for software startups, we posit that game jams and
the startup scene share contextual similarities. Finally, we discuss the
drawbacks of systemic "crunch time" and argue that game jam organizers are in a
good position to problematize the phenomenon.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Game
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