Improving Distributed Software Development in Small and Medium Enterprises~!2009-07-01~!2010-05-03~!2010-05-17~!

Abstract

One of the current tendencies of software enterprises is that of making greater development efforts in more attractive zones by decentralizing their production units. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a very important cog in the application of Distributed Software Development (DSD). The software industries of many countries are made up mainly of small and medium software enterprises which in many cases employ this approach by taking advantage of the greater availability of human resources in decentralized zones at a lower cost. However, this leads to certain disadvantages which are mainly due to the distance that separates the teams. Coordination and communication become more difficult, thus affecting productivity and product quality. Efficient Software Engineering practices which are adapted to SME characteristics are therefore necessary. In this paper, we review the main challenges and proposals relating to DSD which may be useful in SME environments, with the principal purpose of providing a set of methods and techniques that can be applied in a generic environment.

Geographical Distance and Communication Challenges in Global Software Development: A Review

“…These are the key factor to success. But the application of maturity models (CMMI) which provide a good source through which to carry out variation near DSD [24].…”

“…The use of a right PML and the use of environments such as Spearmint, Rational Method Composer or Eclipse Process Framework Composer for the model definition are essential to the generation of structured process guidelines which will facilitate training of human resources [24].…”

A Preventive Risk Analysis for Managing Distributed Software Projects based on Deliverable

“…Rules and guidelines with which to conduct the teams and their interactions become necessary. Teams must be continuously controlled in order to solve problems, take corrective actions, and the use of appropriate measures is a vital key factor [5].…”

Improving Coordination and Communication in Distributed Software Development through Context-Based Software Artifacts Awareness: A Controlled Experiment

“…In this scenario, the software development is carried out collaboratively by distributed teams, featuring the Distributed Software Development (DSD). However, this development strategy has brought challenges related to communication, coordination and cooperation for the software projects caused by the geographical and temporal distance between the teams (Herbsleb et al, 2000;Herbsleb and Moitra, 2001;Damian, 2002;Hargreaves and Damian, 2004;Layman et al, 2006;Sangwan et al, 2006;Jiménez et al, 2010;Ivcek and Galinac;Yacoub et al, 2016). According to Herbsleb and Moitra (2001), in distributed environments, the communication channels and the ability of developers to work together are reduced.…”