Software integration model: An assessment tool for global software development vendors

Abstract

The trend toward global software development (GSD) has grown tremendously in recent years because of the rapid acceleration in information and communication technologies (ICTs). The reason for the changing trend toward GSD is to develop high-quality software with minimum cost and time with round the clock. Despite the benefits gained from GSD, there are certain challenges associated with it. Literature reveals that software integration is an integral challenge in the GSD domain and vendors face numerous difficulties in integrating the software components to build the final product. The main aim of this research study is to develop a software integration model (SIM) that will assist GSD vendors to address the factors linked with various stages of software integration. This model is basically designed for GSD vendor organizations to assess and improve their software integration-related activities. However, it is also beneficial for GSD client organizations in getting knowledge about the status of the GSD vendor organization's software integration capabilities. The research design is composed of well-known research strategies including systematic literature review (SLR), questionnaire survey, and case study approach. This research study yielded the SIM. We identified nine critical success factors (CSFs) and 10 critical barriers (CBs) in software integration through SLR-1 by extracting the data from a sample of 105 papers. Similarly, we also identified a total of 132 practices/solutions, for the identified CSFs and CBs in software integration, through SLR-2 from a sample of 40 papers. These identified factors and practices were validated from 96 global software industry experts/practitioners through online survey. The identified CSFs, CBs, and their associated practices have been arranged adequately across the six software integration levels of SIM. We have adapted SIM structure from capability maturity model integration (CMMI), implementation maturity model (IMM), and software outsourcing vendors readiness model (SOVRM). We also conducted six case studies in the software industry for SIM applicability and validity. The participants' feedback from the six case studies in GSD vendor's organizations portray that the SIM is beneficial for GSD vendors to assess their software integration capability.