Systematic literature review and empirical investigation of barriers to process improvement in global software development: Client-vendor perspective.

ContextIncreasingly, software development organizations are adopting global software development (GSD) strategies, mainly because of the significant return on investment they produce. However, there are many challenges associated with GSD, particularly with regards to software process improvement (SPI). SPI can play a significant role in the successful execution of GSD projects. ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to identify barriers that can negatively affect SPI initiatives in GSD organizations from both client and vendor perspectives. MethodA systematic literature review (SLR) and survey questionnaire were used to identify and validate the barriers. ResultsTwenty-two barriers to successful SPI programs were identified. Results illustrate that the barriers identified using SLR and survey approaches have more similarities However, there were significant differences between the ranking of these barriers in the SLR and survey approaches, as indicated by the results of t-tests (for instance, t=2.28, p=0.011