Identifying Key Success Factors for Globally Distributed Software Development Project Using Simulation: A Case Study

With the increased pressure to reduce cost, reduce development time, and improve quality, many software companies are moving toward using a Globally Distributed Software Development (GSD) paradigm. Due to the challenges and difficulties with GSD, researchers and practitioners are attempting to identify key success factors for GSD projects. Based on our previous work, we found that the key success factors can be different depending upon specific project characteristics. To ensure a successful outcome, project managers have to focus on the right success factors for their particular project. In this paper, we illustrate how a GSD simulation model can be used to represent a specific project and to identify key success factors for that project. We use a case study from an actual software development firm. We also perform sensitivity analysis to assess the magnitude of the performance impact for the key factors for the specific project. For the case study site, which uses a combination of phase-based and module-based task allocation strategies, we found that team member familiarity, frequency of team meetings, and communication frequency each have a strong impact on total project effort and duration.