A study of software development project cost, schedule and quality by outsourcing to low cost destination

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debasisha Mishra ◽  
Biswajit Mahanty
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Project Cost ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Testing Work

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.

scholarly journals Suppliers’ software development project start-up practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 880-896
Author(s):  
Helena Merikoski ◽  
Paula Savolainen ◽  
Jarmo J. Ahonen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Start Up

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a life cycle phase of a software development project which is substantial for the success of the project. This paper visualizes the project start-up phase from suppliers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach The method is a theory building from case studies. The data were collected from three software supplier firms by conducting process modeling separately in each firm. Findings The study resulted in a model of a supplier’s software project start-up which includes start-up practices and involved roles. The results indicate that project start-up is an integral and structured phase of project life cycle, which influences the execution of a software development project, especially from the supplier’s perspective in the project business context. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on the start-up phase of software development projects delivered to external customers. Therefore, developed project start-up model is applicable as such in software supplier firms. Practical implications The project start-up model presented in this paper indicates that project start-up is a complex and multi-dimensional activity in a supplier firm. This study suggests that if the project start-up phase is clearly defined, planned and followed in a supplier firm, it reduces confusion and miscommunication among the people involved in the project and helps to achieve the business goals of a project. Originality/value This study emphasizes that it is necessary to make a distinction between the perspectives of the customer and the supplier when studying projects in the project business context. The findings contribute the new knowledge for managing outsourced software development projects.

scholarly journals Towards a methodology to estimate cost of object-oriented software development projects

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radoslav Rakovic
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Development Process ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Unified Modeling Language ◽  
Object Oriented ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Early Estimate

Successful management of a software project, besides a well-defined project development process, requires an early estimate of project complexity. In a prevailing practice, software development costs usually have been determined a posteriori i.e. after software project implementation. It is essential however, to know this estimate a priori, i.e., before commencement of works. This paper presents an attempt to construct a methodology that would enable an early estimate of software development cost and its refinements during subsequent development phases. The methodology assumes an object-oriented approach based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Unified Software Development Process (USDP). It outlines an Use Case Driven Architecture-Centric, Iterative and Incremental estimate process that could significantly improve and simplify early cost estimates. The presented methodology is illustrated on example of the POST software development project.

Software Project Managers under the Team Software Process

2012 ◽  
pp. 115-126
Author(s):  
Marcos Ruano-Mayoral ◽  
Ricardo Colomo-Palacios ◽  
Ángel García-Crespo ◽  
Juan Miguel Gómez-Berbís
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Team Software Process ◽  
Definition Of

Despite the clear relevance of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) market in world economics and the evident lack of success of software projects, organizations devote little effort to the development and maturity of the software project manager profession. This work analyzes the figure of project manager from the perspective of the Team Software Process (TSP), and it considers the required skills, attitudes and knowledge for a software development project. The basis for the study is the analysis of relevant references from the literature for their subsequent categorization into different competency concepts. The results of the analysis are compared with the contributions which the Guide to the SWEBOK® and the PMBOK® Guide models provide of the profiles of the project manager. The results indicate that the literature relating to the Team Software Process is focused on the definitions of skills and attitudes, and to a lesser extent on knowledge components. The lack of the definition of the components which comprise competency constitutes a challenge for software development organizations that use TSP, whose project managers should confront the task with full capacities, and without the help of established and recognized competencies. The current work attempts to establish the competencies for project managers identified in the literature, in the environment of the use of TSP for software development, using a study based on content analysis.

QPLAN

2017 ◽  
pp. 259-283
Author(s):  
Marco Antônio Amaral Féris
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Design Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Key Factor

As business competition increases, there is pressure on software development projects to become more productive and efficient. Previous research has shown that quality planning is a key factor in enhancing project performance. Thus, this article reports on the successful development and implementation of a tool (QPLAN) that enhances software development project performance by evaluating the planning quality of any type of software project and introducing best planning practices (such as references from historical data) that suggest how to manage projects in an appropriate manner, including encompassing lessons learned and involving the customer in the development process. This is applied research aimed at solving a real problem; thus, Design Science Research was adopted as the research methodology and the design science research process (DSRP) model was selected to conduct it. This artifact was designed for the project management literature, and implemented and validated in 11 organizations in five countries.

Bounded becoming: insights from understanding projects in situation

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane Sergi
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Process Ontology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Specific Practice ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Over Time

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest a situated conception of projects, in order develop finer understanding of how these endeavors emerge and unfold over time. The author proposes that these understandings should be rooted in a process ontology, conceive action as situated and focus on actual practices as they are performed by all project actors. Taken together, these dimensions can renew how one views and approaches projects and their management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is illustrated with examples taken out of a study of a software development project, conducted in the ethnographic tradition.FindingsThe examples expose how a specific practice, planning, was accomplished differently depending on the moment and was affected by different circumstances and constraints. The paper also discusses how preferring a processual worldview is especially befitting projects. As endeavors instigated to create or to make something happen, projects are perpetually changing and in movement; it is therefore relevant that their conceptualization takes fully into consideration their intimate nature.Originality/valueThe originality and value of the paper lie in the combination of perspectives, which can be both useful in theorizing projects differently, and in enhancing practitioners' reflexivity. This combination, it is argued, can address a wide array of issues in the context of projects, can favor localized reflection on project management prescriptions and tools, and can help practitioners to sharpen their sensitivity to their own practice.

scholarly journals ROI Estimation in a Scrum Project: A case study

10.29007/nqq6 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Cortés ◽  
Fulvio Lizano
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Financial Metrics

Financial metrics are necessary to inform decisions about the beginning or continuity of a software development project to justify investments. This research discuses initial ROI (Return on Investment) estimates in a software project using Scrum and how to analyze variations in the initial calculations to make return on investment decisions during partial deliveries of the product. The case study included a survey, a review of documentation, two focus group sessions, and an exercise involving application of the proposed technique. Twenty-four professionals participated, of which 4 were Scrum trainers (17%), 4 were officials of the company where the estimation technique was applied (17%), and 16 were project managers of domestic and foreign software development companies (66%), all of whom had experience in project management. This study provides elements to be considered in future research on ROI calculation in projects using Scrum, and can be used as a guide to estimate and review financial metrics during the execution of an actual project.

scholarly journals Risk Evaluation in Software Project Using Bayesian Network Modeling

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e58991110116
Author(s):  
Adalberto Ramos Cassia ◽  
André Felipe Librantz ◽  
Ivanir Costa ◽  
Mauro de Mesquita Spinola ◽  
Erika Midori Kinjo
Keyword(s):  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Bayes Model ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Bayesian Network Modeling ◽  
Engineering Institute

Project risk events are often influenced by each other and rarely act independently. In this context, effective methods to identify, model and analyze these risks are necessary. The objective of this article is to apply the risk analysis in a software development project, based on the model of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), using the Bayes model to calculate the event probabilities and also the Noisy-OR calculation structure to assign the initial weights of the network of factors that influence the project. In this way, it is expected to increase the chances of success of the risk analysis process. The results obtained by the techniques adopted prove to be promising in assisting the process of decision making by the managers of software development projects.

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO FORMULATE A VALUE-BASED SOFTWARE PROCESS TAILORING FRAMEWORK

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (12-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Azura Zakaria ◽  
Suhaimi Ibrahim ◽  
Mohd Naz’ri Mahrin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Systematic Method ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
A Value ◽  
Process Tailoring

Software process tailoring is an approach to customise the existing software development process or model that able to meet the software project’s needs. Software development project is unique and identical from one and another whereby the practices and decision should not be equally treated. Software process tailoring requires knowledge and intuition to make decision such as factors involved in the software project, selection of the suitable software process elements and tailoring operations. Software process tailoring practices focusing more on project characteristics factors and employs ad hoc approach in making the decision. In the absent of value-based factors and systematic method in software process tailoring, subjectivity is embedded in decision making process and the software development project suffers from satisfying the stakeholder. This study presents an integrated approach to formulate a Value-Based Software Process Tailoring Framework (VBSPTF) to overcome this problem. The framework is a combination of value-based factors, MoSCoW rules, Quality Functional Deployment (QFD), Activity-Based Costing (ABC), Priority Map, Value Index and Value Graph. This study perhaps can contribute to the software process tailoring practitioners to be exposed with a systematic method to conduct software process tailoring as well as improving the practices and reducing subjectivity in decision making.

Key Software Metrics and its Impact on each other for Software Development Projects

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 242
Author(s):  
Mridul Bhardwaj ◽  
Ajay Rana
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Software Metrics ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Team Size ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Software Estimation

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Every software development project is unique and different from repeatable manufacturing process. Each software project share different challenges related to technology, people and timelines. If every project is unique, how project manager can estimate project in a consistent way by applying his past experience. One of the major challenges faced by the project manager is to identify the key software metrics to control and monitor the project execution. Each software development project may be unique but share some common metric that can be used to control and monitor the project execution. These metrics are software size, effort, project duration and productivity. These metrics tells project manager about what to deliver (size), how it was delivered in past (productivity) and how long will it take to deliver with current team capability (time and effort). In this paper, we explain the relationship among these key metrics and how they statistically impact each other. These relationships have been derived based on the data published in book “Practical Software Estimation” by International Software Benchmarking Group. This paper also explains how these metrics can be used in predicting the total number of defects. Study suggests that out of the four key software metrics software size significantly impact the other three metrics (project effort, duration and productivity). Productivity does not significantly depend on the software size but it represents the nonlinear relationship with software size and maximum team size, hence, it is recommended not to have a very big team size as it might impact the overall productivity. Total project duration only depends on the software size and it does not depend on the maximum team size. It implies that we cannot reduce project duration by increasing the team size. This fact is contrary to the perception that we can reduce the project duration by increasing the project team size. We can conclude that software size is the important metrics and a significant effort must be put during project initiation phases to estimate the project size. As software size will help in estimating the project duration and project efforts so error in estimating the software size will have significant impact on the accuracy of project duration and effort. All these key metrics must be re-calibrated during the project development life cycle. </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></strong></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"> </p>

Research on Software Product Development Project Management

2013 ◽  
Vol 347-350 ◽  
pp. 457-460
Author(s):  
Jin Hai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Project Organization ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Enterprise Application

Project organization and management software development project management model is the best form of software development enterprises in China's understanding of software development project management has been greatly improved. Traditional software development projects have different characteristics, therefore how flexible application for software project management theory and strategies of the main research objectives of domestic software development project management. Our software in enterprise application software development project management, general shortcomings in implementation, this article on software research and development analysis and project management of implementation strategies.

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