A. César C. França

Six years of systematic literature reviews in software engineering: An updated tertiary study

Context: Since the introduction of evidence-based software engineering in 2004, systematic literature review (SLR) has been increasingly used as a method for conducting secondary studies in software engineering. Two tertiary studies, published in 2009 and 2010, identified and analysed 54 SLRs published in journals and conferences in the period between 1st January 2004 and 30th June 2008. Objective: In this article, our goal was to extend and update the two previous tertiary studies to cover the period between 1st July 2008 and 31st December 2009. We analysed the quality, coverage of software engineering topics, and potential impact of published SLRs for education and practice. Method: We performed automatic and manual searches for SLRs published in journals and conference proceedings, analysed the relevant studies, and compared and integrated our findings with the two previous tertiary studies. Results: We found 67 new SLRs addressing 24 software engineering topics. Among these studies, 15 were considered relevant to the undergraduate educational curriculum, and 40 appeared of possible interest to practitioners. We found that the number of SLRs in software engineering is increasing, the overall quality of the studies is improving, and the number of researchers and research organisations worldwide that are conducting SLRs is also increasing and spreading. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the software engineering research community is starting to adopt SLRs consistently as a research method. However, the majority of the SLRs did not evaluate the quality of primary studies and fail to provide guidelines for practitioners, thus decreasing their potential impact on software engineering practice.

Challenges and Solutions in Distributed Software Development Project Management: A Systematic Literature Review

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the challenges, best practices, models, and tools in Distributed Software Development (DSD) Project Management. The objective is to collect and systematize reported knowledge in terms of what are the difficulties in managing DSD projects, what are the best practices to overcome these difficulties, and how existing models and tools support these practices. We found 54 works related to DSD project management, published between 1998 and 2009. Using the data systematically extracted from these works, we propose an evidence-based DSD project management improvement model. Our contention is that this model can support practitioners and researchers to better understand the landscape of DSD project challenges and devise more effective solutions to improve project management in a distributed setting.

Team building criteria in software projects: A mix-method replicated study

Abstract Context The internal composition of a work team is an important antecedent of team performance and the criteria used to select team members play an important role in determining team composition. However, there are only a handful of empirical studies about the use of team building criteria in the software industry. Objective The goal of this article is to identify criteria used in industrial practice to select members of a software project team, and to look for relationships between the use of these criteria and project success. In addition, we expect to contribute with findings about the use of replication in empirical studies involving human factors in software engineering. Method Our research was based on an iterative mix-method, replication strategy. In the first iteration, we used qualitative research to identify team-building criteria interviewing software project managers from industry. Then, we performed a cross-sectional survey to assess the correlations of the use of these criteria and project success. In the second iteration, we used the results of a systematic mapping study to complement the set of team building criteria. Finally, we performed a replication of the survey research with variations to verify and improve the results. Results Our results showed that the consistent use team building criteria correlated significantly with project success, and the criteria related to human factors, such as personality and behavior, presented the strongest correlations. The results of the replication did not reproduce the results of the original survey with respect to the correlations between criteria and success goals. Nevertheless, the variations in the design and the difference in the sample of projects allowed us to conclude that the two results were compatible, increasing our confidence on the existence of the correlations. Conclusion Our findings indicated that carefully selecting team member for software teams is likely to positively influence the projects in which these teams participate. Besides, it seems that the type of development method used can moderate (increase or decrease) this influence. In addition, our study showed that the choice of sampling technique is not straightforward given the many interacting factors affecting this type of investigation.

An evidence‐based model of distributed software development project management: results from a systematic mapping study

Distributed software development (DSD) has intensified over the past few years, and DSD project management is more complex than collocated project management. However, no systematic research effort has focused on aggregating evidence from the scientific literature to build models to support project management on DSD context. For these reasons, the goal of this paper is to build an evidence‐based model of DSD project management from the research findings about challenges of DSD and the practices, models and tools proposed and used to overcome these challenges. We based the construction of this model on the evidence collected and synthesized by a comprehensive systematic mapping study of 70 research papers published between 1997 and 2009. We believe that our results can help practitioners and researchers to better understand the challenges and implement more effective solutions to improve project management within distributed project management teams. These results also provide a mapping of the research about DSD project management, identifying areas where further research is needed. Copyright

A critical appraisal of systematic reviews in software engineering from the perspective of the research questions asked in the reviews

After a seminal article introducing-evidence based software engineering in 2004, systematic reviews (SR) have been increasingly used as a method for conducting secondary studies in software engineering. Our goal is to critically appraise the use of SR in software engineering with respect to the research questions asked and the ways the questions were used in the reviews. We analyzed 53 literature reviews that had been collected in two published tertiary studies. We found that over 65% of the research questions asked in the reviews were exploratory and only 15% investigated causality questions. We concluded that there is a need for a consistent use of terminology to classify secondary studies and that reports of literature reviews should follow reporting guidelines to support assessment and comparison.

An empirical study on the relationship between the use of agile practices and the success of Scrum projects

In this article, factors considered critical for the success of projects managed using Scrum are correlated to the results of software projects in industry. Using a set of 25 factors compiled in by other researchers, a cross section survey was conducted to evaluate the presence or application of these factors in 11 software projects that used Scrum in 9 different software companies located in Recife-PE, Brazil. The questionnaire was applied to 65 developers and Scrum Masters, representing 75% (65/86) of the professionals that have participated in the projects. The result was correlated with the level of success achieved by the projects, measured by the subjective perception of the project participant, using Spearmans rank correlation coefficient. The main finding is that only 32% (8/25) of the factors correlated positively with project success, raising the question of whether the factors hypothesized in the literature as being critical to the success of agile software projects indeed have an effect on project success. Given the limitations regarding the generalization of this result, other forms of empirical results, in particular case-studies, are needed to test this question.

Motivation in software engineering industrial practice: A cross-case analysis of two software organisations

Context: The research about motivation in software engineering has provided important insights into characterizing factors and outcomes related to motivation. However, the complex relationships among these factors, including the moderating and mediating effects of organisational and individual characteristics, still require deeper explanatory investigation. Objective: Our general goal is to build explanatory theories of motivation in different software organisations and to integrate these local theories towards a comprehensive understanding of the role of motivation in the effectiveness of the individuals and the teams in which they work. In this article, we describe the integrative synthesis of the results of two case studies performed with software organisations in different business contexts. Method: We performed two case studies using a multiple-case, replication design, focusing on the software engineers as the unit of analysis. For 13months, we conducted semi structured interviews, diary studies, and document analyses, and analysed the collected data using grounded theory procedures. The results of the two cases were synthesized using a meta-ethnography supported process. Results: We built translations of the concepts and propositions from the two studies into one another. We then used the translations to build a central story of motivation that synthesizes the individual stories. This synthesis is contextualized by the differences in organisational and individual characteristics. Conclusion: The differences in organisational contexts and in the characteristics of the software engineers in each study provided rich explanations for contrasts in perceptions and feelings about motivation in both organisations. The theory that emerged from the synthesis, supported by these explanations, provides a deeper understanding of the interplay between motivators and outcomes, and the needs and personal goals of the software engineers. This theory also characterises the role of team cohesion in motivation, advancing previous models about motivation in software engineering.

Towards understanding the underlying structure of motivational factors for software engineers to guide the definition of motivational programs

Aim: In this article, factors influencing the motivation of software engineers is studied with the goal of guiding the definition of motivational programs. Method: Using a set of 20 motivational factors compiled in a systematic literature review and a general theory of motivation, a survey questionnaire was created to evaluate the influence of these factors on individual motivation. Then, the questionnaire was applied on a semi-random sample of 176 software engineers from 20 software companies located in Recife-PE, Brazil. Results: The survey results show the actual level of motivation for each motivator in the target population. Using principal component analysis on the values of all motivators, a five factor structure was identified and used to propose a guideline for the creation of motivational programs for software engineers. Conclusions: The five factor structure provides an intuitive categorization for the set of variables and can be used to explain other motivational models presented in the literature. This contributes to a better understanding of motivation in software engineering.

An empirical study on software engineers motivational factors

This article describes a survey which aims to identify the relative importance of a set of factors that affect the motivation of software engineers at work. The conceptual underpinnings of human motivation used in the research are the Expectancy Theory and the Motivation-Hygiene Theory. In the study, a survey was conducted involving 176 software engineers from the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Data collected with the survey received statistical treatment to test correlation among the motivational factors, and the existing correlations were used to create a partial order relation that reflects relative importance, or systemic influence, among motivational factors. This is an important result for the definition of motivational programs in software organizations. The findings of this study contribute to the construction of empirically based methods for building and developing effective software engineering teams.

Towards an Explanatory Theory of Motivation in Software Engineering: A Qualitative Case Study of a Small Software Company

Research on motivation has made important contributions for the software engineering practice, but it has mostly adopted quantitative approaches, towards generalizable statements. However, given the complexity of the human behavior, motivation seems to be affected by diverse environmental conditions, and to be moderated by individual and organizational characteristics. Therefore, contextualized and explanatory theories are needed to account for this diversity. This research presents a grounded theory aimed at describing and explaining the motivation of software engineers in the context of a small private software company, in Recife, Brazil. Semi structured interviews were carried out over four months, and data were analyzed using grounded theory procedures. As a result, we present statements that connect, relate, and make sense of contextual factors, describing the central story of motivation in the company. In this case study, learning and growth needs emerged as the strongest drivers of motivation, which in turn increase the goal commitment of engineers and create the conditions for better job performance.