Systematic Literature Study for Dimensional Classification of Success Factors Affecting Process Improvement in Global Software Development : Client-Vendor Perspective

Majority of the organizations are globalizing their software development activities by following the ideas of global software development (GSD). The motivation behind the adoption of GSD phenomena are the list of benefits gained by the software industry. However, there are different challenges face by the GSD organizations, particularly the issues related to Software Process Improvement (SPI). The aim of this study is the identification and classification into categories of the success factors that can impact SPI initiatives taken in GSD organizations. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method has been used to extract the success factors from the existing literature. The three core phases “planning, conducting and reporting the review” of SLR has been followed to perform this study. Total fifteen success factors were identified and classified into the six main categories. We have also reported the critical success factors of SPI i.e. management commitment, staff involvement, roles and responsibilities, communication and resources allocation. This article also reported the similarities and differences between the success factors classified on the bases of client-vendor organization and size of the organization. The identified success factors can contribute towards the implementation of SPI program in both client and vendor GSD organizations because these factors represent key areas of process improvement.