20,178 research outputs found
An exploratory study in communication in Agile Global Software Development
Global software development (GSD) is gaining ever more relevance. Although communication is key in the exchange
of information between team members, multi-site software development has introduced additional obstacles (different
time-zones and cultures, IT infrastructure, etc.) and delays into the act of communication, which is already problematic.
Communication is even more critical in the case of Agile Global Software Development (AGSD) in which communication plays a primary role. This paper reports an exploratory study of the effects of tools supporting communication
in AGSD. More precisely, this paper analyses the perception of team members about communication infrastructures
in AGSD. The research question to which this study responds concerns how development teams perceive the communication infrastructure while developing products using agile methodologies. Most previous studies have dealt with communication support from a highly technological media tool perspective. In this research work, instead, observations were obtained from three perspectives: communication among team members, communication of the status of the development process, and communication of the status of the progress of the product under development.
It has been possible to show that team members perceive advantages to using media tools that make them
feel in practice that teams are co-located, such as smartboards supported by efficient video-tools, and combining media tools with centralized repository tools, with information from the process development and product characteristics,
that allow distributed teams to effectively share information about the status of the project/process/product
during the development process in order to overcome some of the still existing problems in communication in AGSD
Investigating an âAgile-Rigidâ Approach in Globally Distributed Requirements Analysis
The global software development environment brings with itself abundant business opportunities as well as challenges in terms of coordination, communication and control. Recent years have also witnessed the growth of the agile movement. To address the global software development challenges there is a need to combine the flexibility offered by the growing agile development approaches with the rigidity offered by the traditional plan-based approaches. This paper reports an exploratory quasi-experimental study, which investigates the performance of requirements analysis projects in an âagile-rigidâ distributed environment. The study yields several interesting conclusions that can assist organizations in managing their global software projects more effectively. Our experiment indicates that project monitoring and control, project communication, and process facilitation between peer teams significantly influence the success of such projects. Creation of an agile-rigid environment can help organizations mitigate various risks inherent in globally distributed software development
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 customersâ 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 âflexibleâ 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
The development of service provider's BPO-IT framework
Purpose
The decision to operate BPO-IT organisational model by a business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider has far reaching benefits. The purpose of this paper is to develop a service providerâs BPO-IT framework that provides in-house IT function (software) required to process client services.
Design/methodology/approach
The multi-case study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed method research approach. In the first instance, seven BPO service provider organisations were investigated in the qualitative phase and 156 in the quantitative phase, respectively.
Findings
The adoption of the developed framework indicates that it could reduce failures in BPO relationships through reduced turnaround time in processing client services, improved quality of service, reduced cost, improved client and providerâs competitiveness, and confidentiality of client operations. Outsourcing clients could lay the foundation for a successful relationship by adopting a selection process that could choose the right provider.
Originality/value
The paper reveals BPO-IT organisationâs operation towards in-house provision of software required to process client services. A research exploring BPO service providers from a top outsourcing destination like India could provide offshore outsourcing clients the information to move towards onshore outsourcing.
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