A decade of best practices of software engineering in small companies: a quasi-systematic mapping

The following of best practices of Software Engineering (SE) is something that provides many advantages for software companies. In this scenario SWEBOK is a guideline that supports these companies with information about the core of knowledge of SE, including a list of Best Practices (BP) to adopt. For small companies, however, some restrictions such as limited budget, short schedule, reduced number of employees, can hinder the advantages of the adoption of these practices. In this scenario, it is necessary to have useful information about which BPs have been adopted in small companies. Therefore, this paper describes the planning and execution of a quasi-systematic mapping study in order to report the adopting scenario of SWEBOK BPs in small companies during the last decade. It was possible to observe that the most prominent BP adopted is “Test application”, followed by the using of “Software Process Model” where the tests’ execution is already contemplated by. On the other hand, “Budget Limitation” and “Staff Size” were cited as motivations for avoid the adoption of BPs in small companies.The following of best practices of Software Engineering (SE) is something that provides many advantages for software companies. In this scenario SWEBOK is a guideline that supports these companies with information about the core of knowledge of SE, including a list of Best Practices (BP) to adopt. For small companies, however, some restrictions such as limited budget, short schedule, reduced number of employees, can hinder the advantages of the adoption of these practices. In this scenario, it is necessary to have useful information about which BPs have been adopted in small companies. Therefore, this paper describes the planning and execution of a quasi-systematic mapping study in order to report the adopting scenario of SWEBOK BPs in small companies during the last decade. It was possible to observe that the most prominent BP adopted is “Test application”, followed by the using of “Software Process Model” where the tests’ execution is already contemplated by. On the other hand, “Budget Limitation” and “Staff Size” were cited as motivations for avoid the adoption of BPs in small companies

Yazılım Süreç Geliştirme Modellerinin KOBİ’lerde Kabulü için Model Geliştirilmesi: Ön Bulgular

The software industry is playing a significant role in development of economies all over the world. It is mainly made up of small and medium software enterprises (SMEs). These companies aim to benefit from Software Process Improvements (SPI) to increase product quality and productivity in a competitive environment. Several SPI models and frameworks have been developed to improve software quality in SMEs. As SPI require organizational change and adaptation to new tools, techniques and work practices; organizations have to handle with several challenges emerged from the change. In this study, we present the factors that influence the success and adoption of the SPI models and/or standards used in SMEs. We also present the preliminary findings of the SPI acceptance model that we developed based on an established behavioral theory for SMEs. A pilot survey study was conducted to analyze the model with 20 participants who work in a CMMI Level 3 company.Yazılım endüstrisi tüm dünya ekonomilerinin gelişiminde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu firmaların çoğunluğu küçük ve orta ölçekli şirketlerden (KOBİ) oluşmaktadır. Bu şirketler, rekabetçi bir ortamda ürün kalitesini ve verimliliğini artırmak için Yazılım Süreç İyileştirmelerinden (YSİ) faydalanmayı amaçlamaktadır. YSİ uygulamaları beraberinde kurumsal değişim ve yeni araçlara, tekniklere ve iş uygulamalarına adapte olmayı gerektirdiğinden; kurumlar değişimden kaynaklanan çeşitli zorluklarla başa çıkmak zorundadır. Bu çalışmada, KOBİ’lerde kullanılan YSİ model ve / veya standartlarının başarısını ve benimsenmesini etkileyen faktörler sunulmaktadır. Ayrıca, KOBİ’ler için Davranışsal Teoriye dayanarak geliştirdiğimiz YSİ kabul modelinin ön bulguları sunulmaktadır. CMMI Seviye 3 firmasında çalışan 20 katılımcı ile modeli analiz etmek için pilot bir anket çalışması yapılmıştır

Analysis of Software Process Improvement Activities in SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review

This Software industry is a very significant cog in today’s economic landscape. The majority of these organizations mainly comprise small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These enterprises aim to benefit from Software Process Improvement (SPI) activities in producing high-quality products and services in competitive business environments. For this purpose, SPI models have been developed for specific SME characteristics. In this study, we performed a systematic literature review to analyze the characteristics of these SPI models, the challenges of performing SPI activities in SMEs, and the critical success factors for SPI activities. In this context, 61 articles published from 2007 to 2020 were examined, as a result, 28 SPI models used in SMEs were found out. In addition, ten different situations that make SPI implementations challenging in SMEs and seven factors that affect the success of SPI studies in SMEs were reported

Desarrollo de un modelo de procesos para la adquisición de software basado en la NTP-ISO/IEC 12207 para mejorar la gestión de las adquisiciones de software en microempresas peruanas

Dentro de cualquier organización, el proceso para obtener un bien o prestación es un proceso crítico y merece atención, porque si se hace de manera inapropiada, puede causar innumerables daños. En este sentido, el proceso de adquisición de software no es diferente, ya que una adquisición mal realizada puede causar retrasos en la entrega de productos, malas prácticas empresariales, entre otros, mientras que, por el contrario, trabajar con un software adecuado y bien adquirido puede significar una ganancia comercial para las compañías. Por esta razón, en esta investigación, primeramente se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura utilizando el método de Kitchenham & Charters con el propósito de seleccionar el modelo más adecuado que sirva de soporte para la construcción de un modelo nuevo; luego, se caracterizó la NTP-ISO/IEC 12207 haciendo énfasis en las etapas del Proceso de Adquisición que dicha norma establece; después, se diseñó el modelo propuesto haciendo uso de la herramienta GitMind y el cual quedó constituido por siete (07) etapas con sus respectivas actividades, tareas y formatos pertinentes; posteriormente se validó dicho modelo mediante juicio de expertos y; finalmente, se llevó a cabo una prueba piloto de dicho modelo desarrollado en una microempresa peruana que brinda servicios de consultoría en gestión de tecnologías de la información. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que, el modelo de procesos obtuvo una puntuación de 92% de aprobación por parte de los expertos quienes lo consideraron como una valoración de “Muy Buena”, asimismo, en cuanto a la implementación de dicho modelo, se obtuvo una mejora del proceso de adquisición en dicha compañía caso de estudio, al pasar de un nivel pre test promedio de 0.68, a un nivel post test promedio de 3.81, considerando en ambos casos las siete etapas del modelo. Se concluyó que, el modelo de procesos para la adquisición de software sí mejoró el proceso adquisitivo de software en una microempresa peruana que brinda servicios de consultoría en gestión de tecnologías de la información.TesisInfraestructura, Tecnología y Medio Ambient

A software development methodology for solo software developers: leveraging the product quality of independent developers

Software security for agile methods, particularly for those designed for individual developers, is still a major concern. With most software products deployed over the Internet, security as a key component of software quality has become a major problem. In addressing this problem, this research proposes a solo software development methodology (SSDM) that uses as minimum resources as possible, at the same time conforming to the best practice for delivering secure and high-quality software products. Agile methods have excelled on delivering timely and quality software. At the same time research also shows that most agile methods do not address the problem of security in the developed software. A metasynthesis of SSDMs conducted in this thesis confirmed the lack practices that promote security in the developed software product. On the other hand, some researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating existing lightweight security practices into agile methods. This research uses Design Science Research (DSR) to build, demonstrate and evaluate a lightweight SSDM. Using an algorithm adapted for the purpose, the research systematically integrates lightweight security and quality practices to produce an agile secure-solo software development methodology (Secure-SSDM). A multiple-case study in an academic and industry setting is conducted to demonstrate and evaluate the utility of the methodology. This demonstration and evaluation thereof, indicates the applicability of the methodology in building high-quality and secure software products. Theoretical evaluation of the agility of the Secure-SSDM using the four-dimensional analytical tool (4-DAT) shows satisfactory compliance of the methodology with agile principles. The main contributions in this thesis are: the Secure-SSDM, which entails description of the concepts, modelling languages, stages, tasks, tools and techniques; generation of a quality theory on practices that promote quality in a solo software development environment; adaptation of Keramati and Mirian-Hosseinabadi’s algorithm for the purposes of integrating quality and security practices. This research would be of value to researchers as it introduces the security component of software quality into a solo software development environment, probing more research in the area. To software developers the research has provided a lightweight methodology that builds quality and security into the product using minimum resources.School of ComputingD. Phil. (Computer Science