Addressing Communication, Coordination and Cultural Issues in Global Software Development Projects

  • Sami-Ul-Haq Independent Research Scholar, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Naeem Ahmed Khan Independent Research Scholar, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Aamir Mehmood Mirza Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan
  • Saif Ur Rehman University Institute of Information Technology, PMAS-University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
  • Raja Asif Wagan Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan
  • Imran Saleem University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
Keywords: Action-Based Research Methodology, Communication, Coordination, Global Software Development, Trust

Abstract

The field of Global Software Development has been an active area of research for the last two decades due to its enormous benefits such as lower labor cost, faster development and easy access to the skilled labor pool. Apart from these benefits, it faces some challenges like communication, coordination, trust and configuration management etc. These challenges arise primarily due to physical, cultural and time zone differences. The empirical studies highlight that the existing Global Software Development solutions do not fully meet the user needs as there are still several gaps in these solutions. Therefore, to fulfill these gaps, there is a need to develop novel frameworks that address outstanding issues. In this paper, we have attempted to address the aforesaid GSD challenges. The practitioners can benefit from our proposed framework during the execution of GSD projects. The proposed framework mainly focuses on the root causes of the two principal challenges namely the communication and cultural differences. We believe that if the team members of a software project can communicate effectively and show considerations for others by imparting due reverence to the cultural norms, then the other residual issues can easily be reduced and minimized.

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Published
2021-02-14
How to Cite
Sami-Ul-Haq, Khan, M. N. A., Mirza, A. M., Saif Ur Rehman, Raja Asif Wagan, & Saleem, I. (2021). Addressing Communication, Coordination and Cultural Issues in Global Software Development Projects. EMITTER International Journal of Engineering Technology, 9(1), 13-30. https://doi.org/10.24003/emitter.v9i1.558
Section
Articles