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Exploring Processes in Small Software Companies: A Systematic Review

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Book cover Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE 2016)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 609))

Abstract

Context: To attain an advantage over competitors, small software companies (SSCs) need to have an efficient software development process. However, systematic review studies that have examined the software development process within the context of SSCs are limited. Objective: Therefore, the objective of this paper is to rigorously assess the current state of practice of the software development process of SSCs using ISO/IEC 12207 standard as an analyzing framework. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted to analyze relevant papers published between 2004 and 2014. The selected papers were categorized according to the empirical technique used. A total of 41 primary papers focusing on various aspects of the software development process of SSCs were discovered out of 3841 papers. Results: Based on the evidence found in primary papers, requirement engineering, project planning, life cycle model management and configuration management are the frequently considered processes for improvement when software process improvement (SPI) programs are conducted in SSCs. In addition, understanding the collected requirements and communication barriers between product management and the rest of the work team were among the challenges observed and experienced by SSCs during the software development process.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by HILLA and ICT SHOK N4S (Need for Speed) programs funded by TEKES (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. M3S Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Nirnaya Tripathi, Elina Annanperä, Markku Oivo & Kari Liukkunen

Authors
  1. Nirnaya Tripathi
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  2. Elina Annanperä
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  3. Markku Oivo
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  4. Kari Liukkunen
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Correspondence to Nirnaya Tripathi or Markku Oivo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lero Irish Software Research Centre, Dublin City University Lero Irish Software Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul M. Clarke

  2. Dublin City University , Dublin 9, Ireland

    Rory V. O'Connor

  3. Software Quality Institue, Griffith University Software Quality Institue, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Terry Rout

  4. Impronova AB , Drabergsvagen, Lindome, Sweden

    Alec Dorling

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Tripathi, N., Annanperä, E., Oivo, M., Liukkunen, K. (2016). Exploring Processes in Small Software Companies: A Systematic Review. In: Clarke, P., O'Connor, R., Rout, T., Dorling, A. (eds) Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination. SPICE 2016. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 609. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38980-6_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38980-6_12

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