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1 – 10 of over 5000Syed Danial Hashmi, Khurram Shahzad and Muhammad Izhar
This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between different global software development (GSD) challenges (management, process, social, technical and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between different global software development (GSD) challenges (management, process, social, technical and environmental challenges) and software project success. Further, the study examines the moderating role of total quality management (TQM) between the relationship of GSD challenges and success of software projects.
Design/methodology/approach
Using two field studies, the authors collected data form software developers working in globally distributed teams. In study 1 (n = 194), relationship of different dimensions of GSD challenges (management, process, social, technical and environmental challenges) and project success was examined. In study 2 (n = 138), moderating role of TQM was examined on the relationship of GSD challenges and project success.
Findings
The results of study 1 indicate that there is a negative relationship between all dimensions of GSD challenges and project success. Findings of study 2 confirmed that TQM practices moderate the negative relationship between GSD challenges and project success.
Practical implications
The findings of the study provide guidelines to the project managers of software industry to mitigate GSD challenges using TQM practices.
Originality/value
Study adds in the literature of TQM, GSD challenges and project success by (1) empirically investigating the relationship between different GSD challenges and software project success and (2) by examining the moderating role of TQM practices on relationship of GSD challenges and project success in global software development industry.
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This study aims to develop a model for coordination and communication overhead in distributed software development through case study analysis in the Indian outsourcing software…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a model for coordination and communication overhead in distributed software development through case study analysis in the Indian outsourcing software industry. The model is based on business knowledge, which can be classified as domain, regulatory, strategic, business process and operation process knowledge as per existing literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Double case study method was used to verify an existing knowledge–management framework of software development from the literature. The stakeholders of both the cases were interviewed, and project documents were verified to reach conclusions.
Findings
The findings supported the business knowledge classification from the literature. The concept can be used to analyze the software project in a distributed environment.
Research limitations/implications
The research work findings are based only on two case studies. The study findings cannot be generalized and should be used as a learning tool. There can be large variations of project characteristics with differences in business knowledge requirements. The research shows the importance of business knowledge transfer in global software development.
Practical implications
Projects managers in the distributed software development environment can use the findings in project planning and work allocation for better control over cost and schedule, etc.
Originality/value
There is little research works attempted to study the business knowledge classification in the global software industry making the research novel.
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Vathsala Wickramasinghe and Gayan Perera
The purpose of this paper is to investigate human resource management (HRM) practices adopted by firms during the recession period of 2008‐2010, their impact on employees'…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate human resource management (HRM) practices adopted by firms during the recession period of 2008‐2010, their impact on employees' happiness at work, and whether there are any differences by the size of the firm.
Design/methodology/approach
Two survey questionnaires were developed for the study, one targeting non‐managerial employees and the other targeting senior managers. Two random samples of non‐managerial employees (n=263) and senior managers (n=76) attached fulltime to globally distributed software development firms in Sri Lanka responded. For the data analysis, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression were used.
Findings
It was found that reduction in financial rewards, reduction in benefits, and training and development provision significantly vary by the size of the firm. Further, the communication of information, performance management, reduction in financial rewards, and reduction in benefits significantly predict employees' happiness at work during recession.
Research limitations/implications
The research was designed as a cross‐sectional study employing survey methodology. Respondent senior managers were reluctant to provide actual data on layoffs and quits during the recession period.
Practical implications
The findings of this study would contribute for practitioners to better understand the HRM practices adopted by the firms during recession and effects of these HRM practices on employees' level of happiness at work.
Social implications
Employees' happiness by doing what is worth doing, pursing important goals, and using one's skills and talents during the economic recession could be affected by the HRM practices adopted during the recession.
Originality/value
It is evident that firms facing economic recession launch cost reduction initiatives such as pay cuts and freeze in new hires. From the academic and practical standpoint it is important to identify the influence of such HRM practices adopted during the recession on employees' happiness at work. However, available research does not provide sufficient understanding about the influence of HRM practices on employees' happiness at work during recession as empirical research on this area is presently lacking.
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Debasisha Mishra and Biswajit Mahanty
The purpose of this paper is to find good values of onsite-offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and between onsite and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find good values of onsite-offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and between onsite and offshore team so as to reduce project cost and improve schedule in a global software development (GSD) environment for software development project.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs system dynamics simulation approach to study software project characteristics in both co-located and distributed development environments. The authors consulted 14 experts from Indian software outsourcing industry during our model construction and validation.
Findings
The study results show that there is a drop in overall team productivity in outsourcing environment by considering the offshore options. But the project cost can be reduced by employing the offshore team for coding and testing work only with minimal training for imparting business knowledge. The research results show that there is a potential to save project cost by being flexible in project schedule.
Research limitations/implications
The implication of the study is that the project management team should be careful not to keep high percentage of manpower at offshore location in distributed software environment. A large offshore team can increase project cost and schedule due to higher training overhead, lower productivity and higher error proneness. In GSD, the management effort should be to keep requirement analysis and design work at onsite location and involves the offshore team in coding and testing work.
Practical implications
The software project manager can use the model results to divide the software team between onsite and offshore location during various phases of software development in distributed environment.
Originality/value
The study is novel as there is little attempt at finding the team distribution between onsite and offshore location in GSD environment.
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Mairead O'Connor, Kieran Conboy and Denis Dennehy
The purpose of this paper is to identify, classify and analyse temporality in information systems development (ISD) literature.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify, classify and analyse temporality in information systems development (ISD) literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors address the temporality and ISD research gap by using a framework – which classifies time into three categories: conceptions of time, mapping activities to time and actors relating to time. The authors conduct a systematic literature review which investigates time in ISD within the Senior Scholars' Basket, Information Technology & People (IT&P), and top two information systems conferences over the past 20 years. The search strategy resulted in 9,850 studies of which 47 were identified as primary papers.
Findings
The results reveal that ISD research is ill equipped for contemporary thinking around time. This systematic literature review (SLR) contributes to ISD by finding the following gaps in the literature: (1) clock time is dominant and all other types of time are under-researched; (2) contributions to mapping activities to time is lacking and existing studies focus on single ISD projects rather multiple complex ISD projects; (3) research on actors relating to time is lacking; (4) existing ISD studies which contribute to temporal characteristics are fragmented and lack integration with other categories of time and (5) ISD methodology papers lack contributions to temporal characteristics and fail to acknowledge and contribute to time as a multifaceted interrelated concept.
Originality/value
This work has developed the first SLR on temporality in ISD. This study provides a starting point for ISD researchers and ISD practitioners to test commonly held temporal assumptions of ISD researchers and practitioners.
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Vathsala Wickramasinghe and Chandana De Silva
The purpose of this paper is to explore information technology (IT) professionals' perception towards shift‐based work pattern used by globally distributed software development…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore information technology (IT) professionals' perception towards shift‐based work pattern used by globally distributed software development (GDSD) firms in Sri Lanka, in terms of the effects of shift work on them and strategies they used to cope with shift work.
Design/methodology/approach
A self‐administered survey questionnaire was chosen as the mode for data collection. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for data analysis.
Findings
The findings led to identifying the characteristics of shift work environment, benefits and drawbacks of shift work for IT professionals, strategies used by IT professionals to cope with shift work, and their overall evaluation of the shift work environment.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the questionnaire survey provided access to breadth of experience. If qualitative data had also been obtained they could have provided depth by adding insight and substance to the questionnaire survey.
Practical implications
The findings of the study suggest that shift work creates problems for IT professionals' health that call for improvements in the areas that are deleterious while retaining or enhancing those that are beneficial for the shift‐based workforce.
Social implications
The paper provides an understanding of the consequences of shift work for the rhythm of minds and bodies, families and social lives and the routines of rest of the community, and ways to cope with shift work may help the industry to flourish at large.
Originality/value
Minimal literature has been found specific to the cohort of IT professionals engaged full‐time in GDSD on shift basis with respect to their view of it and issues related to their employment arrangement. It is expected that the findings of this study will provide insight into benefits, challenges and issues associated with shift work to allow individuals and organizational leaders to better understand and utilize shift‐based work pattern in GDSD. Further, it is expected that the findings of this study will be a source of general guidance in stimulating future research in this area.
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Naveen Kumar Jain, Nitin Pangarkar and Yuan Lin
Research on international experience notes its positive influence on subsequent international expansion by firms. We test this relationship in the context of the Indian software…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on international experience notes its positive influence on subsequent international expansion by firms. We test this relationship in the context of the Indian software industry whose offerings, unlike many other services, are storable implying that delivery can be separated from production.
Design/methodology/approach
We analyzed the domestic expansion of a sample of publicly listed Indian software firms over the period 2000–2009 with help of Poisson regression.
Findings
We find that even internationally experienced Indian software firms might prefer to expand domestically because of limited financial and managerial resources and concerns about diluting their cost advantage. The storable and separable nature of software services will support this strategy of serving clients remotely. The domestic expansion of assets will, however, be slower for firms with the highest level of industry accreditation. It will also be slower if there are institutional pressures in the form of rivals locating development centers near clients in developed countries.
Originality/value
Our results demonstrate that international experience alone is not sufficient for firms to expand overseas.
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Debasisha Mishra and Biswajit Mahanty
The aim of this paper is to make an attempt to find good values of onsite–offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to make an attempt to find good values of onsite–offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and between onsite and offshore team to reduce cost and improve schedule for re-engineering projects in global software development environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The system dynamics technique is used for simulation model construction and policy run experimentation. The experts from Indian software outsourcing industry were consulted for model construction, validation and analysis of policy run results in both co-located and distributed software development environment.
Findings
The study results show that there is a drop in the overall team productivity in outsourcing environment by considering the offshore options. But the project cost can be reduced by employing the offshore team for coding and testing work only with minimal training for imparting business knowledge. The research results show that there is a potential to save project cost by being flexible in project schedule.
Research limitations/implications
The study found that there could be substantial cost saving for re-engineering projects with a loss of project schedule when an appropriate onsite–offshore combination is used. The quality and productivity drop, however, were rather small for such combinations. The cost savings are high when re-engineering work is sent to offshore location entirely after completion of requirement analysis work at onsite location and providing training to offshore team in business knowledge The research findings show that there is potential to make large cost savings by being flexible in project schedule for re-engineering projects.
Practical implications
The software project manager can use the model results to divide the software team between onsite and offshore location during various phases of software development in distributed environment.
Originality/value
The study is novel as there is little attempt at finding the team distribution between onsite and offshore location in global software development environment.
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Huosong Xia, Jingwen Li, Juan Weng, Zuopeng (Justin) Zhang and Yangmei Gao
Existing research on collaborative innovation mechanisms from the perspective of global operation is very limited. This paper aims to address the research gap by studying the…
Abstract
Purpose
Existing research on collaborative innovation mechanisms from the perspective of global operation is very limited. This paper aims to address the research gap by studying the factors influencing globally distributed teams’ innovation performance, especially how effective knowledge sharing between distributed teams promotes collaborative team innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This research proposes a model to investigate how collaborative knowledge sharing affects global operations [team dispersion, task orientation, information and communication technology (ICT) usage] and innovation performance based on the data collected from 167 managers in 40 local Chinese IT and offshoring firms. Using the theory of Cognitive Diversity and Innovation Diffusion and Synergy, separate hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the proposed model.
Findings
The findings of this study demonstrate that effective collaborative knowledge sharing plays a crucial role in enhancing innovation performance in a global operation. Specifically, innovation capacity can be improved by task orientation, ICT usage and team dispersion.
Originality/value
This research study contributes to the development of global distributed operations and innovation among distributed teams in multinational corporations.
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Goparaju Purna Sudhakar, Ayesha Farooq and Sanghamitra Patnaik
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance of software development teams.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the thorough secondary research and literature review of the past empirical studies published in reputed journals. The methodology followed is the secondary research based on extensive literature review of empirical studies done and analysis of the findings of those studies and categorization of the factors affecting the software development team performance. Literature review and analysis were carried out between March 2010 and March 2011.
Findings
It was found that the soft factors such as team climate, team diversity, team innovation, team member competencies and characteristics, top management support and team leader behavior, have an effect on software development team performance. Mutual trust and communication effectiveness are found to be the prioritized factors affecting the software development team performance.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions made are based on the past empirical studies found in the literature. A primary research can be done by taking these soft factors into consideration and implications or observations can be found on the software development team's performance.
Originality/value
The original contribution of this paper is the classification of factors affecting the performance of software development teams. This contribution also highlights the soft factors such as team climate, which was not discussed much in the literature. It also highlights trust and communication, for example, as leading factors affecting the software development team performance.
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