Article Analysis Essay on "Risk Factors that Affect Collaborative Software Development"

Introduction

The article "Risk Factors that Affect Collaborative Software Development" by Nayak and Suesaowaluk (2008) seeks to evaluate the concept of collaborative software development and address the challenges and risks associated with software development that essentially upsets progress of software development projects. Software development has become an important concept in the modern technological world for different applications in many industries. However, this industry has been faced by massive development challenges that should be addressed to realize the success of the projects. It is clear from the introduction that different types of risks classified based on uncertainty, anticipated consequences, and the origin or nature of risks are prevalent as critical issues that affect software projects. By establishing a mixed method approach which was suitable in this research, the researchers identified various individual and collaborative risks which adversely affect software projects if mitigation measures are not adequately handled.

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Through a critical analysis of results, Nayak and Suesaowaluk (2008) extended the argument of risk factors and summed up the findings well by suggesting approaches to risk management plans. While the individual plans can help in mitigating risks, they are not adequate to fully solve the risks of multifaceted projects in collaborative software projects. These findings are imperative to my study which seeks to evaluate the risk factors of software projects and suggest applicable mitigation approaches. The study forms an important basis to my background information and problem statement as it offers preliminary approaches to risk management. The different frameworks suggested in collaborative software setting will be evaluated in details in my study. In this regard, the study by Nayak and Suesaowaluk (2008) contributes immensely to literature as well as my research questions hence a foundation of my research.

Similarly, the article "Risk Factors in Software Development Projects," by Menezes, Gusmao, and Moura (2018) draw attention to the risks involved in software development projects. According to the scholars, numerous risks are inherent in software projects. It should be noted that these risks may lead to software projects' failure if appropriate measures are not undertaken. Considering the dependency of software in various industries across the globe, the research established a systematic review of the literature to identify the major associated risks and hence suggest applicable mitigation measures. The research was intensively carried out which included 41 research papers which enabled identification and categorization of 148 different risk factors. The quality of findings was ensured since the researchers performed a rigor-relevance analysis. According to the study, requirement risks are the most prevalent in the software industry which forms the major obstacles of successful software development projects.

The findings of this research form a foundation of factors that are expected to reveal themselves in the study. It should be noted that the study evaluated previous literature and the common risks were identified and grouped. In this regard, an analysis of these findings will enable identification of the research gap in the area of software development. Besides, identification of extra risks will show a contribution of my research to the field. However, this study could be biased and possesses a few limitations that should be taken into consideration. Although the scholars performed a quality check of articles identified, they did not deploy a snowballing technique which reduces bias. However, the researchers suggest case studies be conducted to validate the findings. In this respect, the research contributes to my study as I intend to carry out case studies to find out the risk factors, their impact, and suggest how they can be avoided.

Conclusion

In his article, Risk Factors Affecting the Software Quality Failures in Sri Lankan Software Industry," Gamage (2017) outlines the risks that have led to software quality failures in Sri Lanka. The researcher aimed at studying the risk factors that impacted on the software quality with the aim of providing recommendations that would see mitigation of risks of poor quality. The research clearly outlined the factors that affected software quality as test planning, proper testing, and the quality assurance team. These factors are imperative in understanding the risk concept before even identifying the risk factors. By deploying a qualitative approach by use of a questionnaire, the research showed participants' experiences in real scenarios in the software industry which facilitates applicable recommendations.

The researcher clearly argues that improper test planning, unrealistic test planning, failure to follow quality risk management plans, non-proper contingency action planning are the major causes of risk towards poor project planning. It is important to note that Gamage (2017) investigated the factors related to a particular risk of poor quality. Therefore, the research is critical to my study which seeks to establish the factors that contribute to poor outcomes of software projects quality. Besides, the study contributes to my knowledge of a real case in Sri Lanka which could be prevalent in other parts of the world. In conclusion, the research articles will inform a good concept to form a background of my study.

References

Gamage, N. 2017. The risk factors affecting to the software quality failures in Sri Lankan Software industry. University of Sri Jayewardenepura Research Paper pp. 1-52.

Menezes, J. Gusmao, C.and Moura, H. 2018. Risk factors in software development projects: a systematic literature review. Software Quality Journal pp. 1-26.

Nayak, M. and Suesaowaluk, P. 2008. Risk factors that affect collaborative software development. Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE ICMIT pp. 1366-1371.