Jo Hanisch

Impediments to requirements engineering during global software development

Developing software when team members are located in widely distributed geographic locations poses many challenges for developers, particularly during the requirements engineering (RE) phase. Using a case study of a large software development project with users located in the UK and software developers from an international software house based in New Zealand, the paper argues that while global RE using electronic communication media may be desirable in achieving economy of resources, social and cultural aspects of RE need to be considered so that lasting relationships with clients may be formed, and RE activities achieved. The main impediments to the process of RE during global software development are communication resulting from differences in shared meanings and context associated with the following: distribution of the clients and the development team; distribution of the development team; cultural differences between the clients and the development team; and cultural differences among the development team.

ICT intervention in the `Chandanbari' Village of Bangladesh: Results from a field study

The United Nations, the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union purport that information and communication technology (ICT) interventions improve development in third world countries. Hence, developing countries are rushing to implement various ICT interventions in urban-rural areas aiming to engender local or national development. Through an interpretive case study of an ICT intervention in the Chandanbari village area of Bangladesh, this research describes some challenges surrounding ICT interventions. From background literature concerning bridging the digital-divide we emphasise users’ capability, local context and local content during the planning and implementation of ICT interventions. We apply Heeks’ (eDevelopment Briefing, 3(1), 1–2, 2005) information chain model to improve understanding of ICT-led development at the community/individual level. Our findings uncover considerable interest in ICT interventions from the community/individuals; however, there are challenges to the long-term acceptance of ICT interventions, such as the socio-cultural issues of gender discrimination and cultural barriers.