In today’s knowledge-based economy, modern organisations understand the importance of technology in their quest to be considered global leaders. South African markets like others worldwide are regularly flooded with the latest technology trends which can complicate the acquisition, use, management and maintenance of software. To achieve a competitive edge, companies tend to leverage agile methods with the best possible combination of innovative supporting tools as a key differentiator. Software technology firms are in this light faced with determining how to leverage technology and efficient development processes for them to consistently deliver quality software projects and solutions to their customer base. Previous studies have discussed the importance of software development processes from a project management perspective. African academia has immensely contributed in terms of software development and project management research which has focused on modern frameworks, methodologies as well as project management techniques. While the current research continues with this tradition by presenting the pertinence of modern agile methodologies, it additionally further describes modern agile development processes tailored in a sub-Saharan context. The study also aims novelty by showing how innovative sometimes disruptive technology tools can contribute to producing African software solutions to African problems. To this end, the thesis contains an experimental case study where a web portal is prototyped to assist firms with the management of agile project management and engineering related activities. Literature review, semi-structure interviews as well as direct observations from the industry use case are used as data sources. Underpinned by an Activity Theory analytical framework, the qualitative data is analysed by leveraging content and thematic oriented techniques. This study aims to contribute to software engineering as well as the information systems body of knowledge in general. The research hence ambitions to propose a practical framework to promote the delivery of quality software projects and products. For this thesis, such a framework was designed around an information system which helps organizations better manage agile project management and engineering related activities. / Information Science / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

Today media centers are often cluttered with multiple devices each controlled by their own remote control. It is often hard and/or painful to manage and utilize these devices, especially for inexperienced users. Simstream wants to build an innovative smart-TV that as much as possible centralizes functions and controls.  Operating the system should be intuitive and simple, yet experienced users should have access to more advanced operations. This requires acquiring several inputs as well as integrating the communication devices that are necessary to control the attached external devices. Whenever possible, we want to efficiently process every input while minimizing latencies.  As a result, we want all the frequent operation to be as quick and lightweight as possible in order to provide a high quality user experience even under high system loads. This project takes advantage of the widespread availability of touchscreen mobile devices in order to provide an innovative means of control over the television, with remote control mobile applications running on an user’s familiar device. A remote controller will also be sold together with the television, and this remote controller will also have a touchscreen, and will propose the same capabilities as the remote control mobile applications. Finally, this platform will be open to third-party applications, and as a result this thesis project developed a software development kit which is designed to be easy and familiar enough for developers to adopt it and create applications with it. Applications will be developed together with an interface displayed on the remote controllers, in order to tailor the remote control interface to what is currently displayed on the television screen / Idag är mediecentrer ofta belamrade med många enheter som är kontrollerade av sina egna fjärrkontroller. Det är ofta svårt och / eller smärtsamt att använda dessa enheterna, särskilt för oerfarna användare. Simstream vill bygga en innovativ smart TV som centraliserar funktioner och kontroller så mycket som möjligt. Att använda systemet ska vara intuitivt och enkelt, men mer erfarna användare ska också ha tillgång till mer avancerade funktioner. Detta kräver att förvärva flera indata samt att integrera kommunikationsenheterna som är nödvändiga för att kontrollera de anslutna externa enheter. När det är möjligt vill vi behandla varje indata på ett effektivt sätt oh samtidigt minimera latenser. Det här betyder att en operation som utförs ofta skall vara så snabb och så lätt som möjligt, för att förbättra användarupplevelse även när systemet är hårt belastad. Detta projekt drar fördel av den vidsprädda tillgången till pekskärma mobila enheter för att tillföra användaren en innovativ kontroll över sin TV, direkt från sin bekanta enhet. Slutligen kommer denna plattformen att vara öppen för tredjepartsutvecklare, och som ett resultat har detta examensarbete utvecklat ett software development kit som är gjort för att vara enkelt och välbekant nog för att utvecklare ska kunna använda det och skapa applikationer med det.

Software security for agile methods, particularly for those designed for individual developers, is still a major concern. With most software products deployed over the Internet, security as a key component of software quality has become a major problem. In addressing this problem, this research proposes a solo software development methodology (SSDM) that uses as minimum resources as possible, at the same time conforming to the best practice for delivering secure and high-quality software products. Agile methods have excelled on delivering timely and quality software. At the same time research also shows that most agile methods do not address the problem of security in the developed software. A metasynthesis of SSDMs conducted in this thesis confirmed the lack practices that promote security in the developed software product. On the other hand, some researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating existing lightweight security practices into agile methods. This research uses Design Science Research (DSR) to build, demonstrate and evaluate a lightweight SSDM. Using an algorithm adapted for the purpose, the research systematically integrates lightweight security and quality practices to produce an agile secure-solo software development methodology (Secure-SSDM). A multiple-case study in an academic and industry setting is conducted to demonstrate and evaluate the utility of the methodology. This demonstration and evaluation thereof, indicates the applicability of the methodology in building high-quality and secure software products. Theoretical evaluation of the agility of the Secure-SSDM using the four-dimensional analytical tool (4-DAT) shows satisfactory compliance of the methodology with agile principles. The main contributions in this thesis are: the Secure-SSDM, which entails description of the concepts, modelling languages, stages, tasks, tools and techniques; generation of a quality theory on practices that promote quality in a solo software development environment; adaptation of Keramati and Mirian-Hosseinabadi’s algorithm for the purposes of integrating quality and security practices. This research would be of value to researchers as it introduces the security component of software quality into a solo software development environment, probing more research in the area. To software developers the research has provided a lightweight methodology that builds quality and security into the product using minimum resources. / School of Computing / D. Phil. (Computer Science)

Context and Background: Global Software Development involves teams located in different geographical locations, time zones, and cultural contexts working together to accomplish a shared goal or complete a software project. These projects, which are conducted by teams in different locations, have been found to be more risky and challenging than those with teams in the same location. Therefore, it is important to have knowledge of the potential challenges of task allocation in global software development and strategies for addressing them to manage a GSD project successfully. Objective: This thesis aims to identify and tabulate all the Task allocation challenges in Global Software Development and synthesize the mitigation strategies for the challenges identified in task allocation in GSD. To evaluate the challenges that influence the task allocation process in GSD and perform an assessment to find the mitigation strategies for these challenges. Research Method: This is a systematic literature review of studies on empirical research on GSD, covering publications from 1999 to 2022. The focus of this research is specifically on challenges associated with task allocation in GSD projects. A survey was conducted to validate the identified challenges and gather suggestive mitigation strategies. This research aimed to identify task allocation challenges in GSD and suggest mitigation strategies in GSD projects. Results: This research has identified a total of 20 challenges related to task allocation in Global software development based on a review of publications from 1999 to 2022. Additionally, the mitigation strategies for the 20 identified challenges were found in a survey conducted as part of the research. The challenges and mitigation strategies are discussed in the paper.

Increasing complexity of real-time systems and demands for enabling their configurability and tailorability are strong motivations for applying new software engineering principles such as aspect-oriented and component-based software development. The integration of these two techniques into real-time systems development would enable: (i) efficient system configuration from the components in the component library based on the system requirements, (ii) easy tailoring of components and/or a system for a specific application by changing the behavior (code) of the component by aspect weaving, and (iii) enhanced flexibility of the real-time and embedded software through the notion of system configurability and component tailorability. In this thesis we focus on applying aspect-oriented and component-based software development to real-time system development. We propose a novel concept of aspectual component-based real-time system development (ACCORD). ACCORD introduces the following into real-time system development: (i) a design method that assumes the decomposition of the real-time system into a set of components and a set of aspects, (ii) a real-time component model denoted RTCOM that supports aspect weaving while enforcing information hiding, (iii) a method and a tool for performing worst-case execution time analysis of different configurations of aspects and components, and (iv) a new approach to modelling of real-time policies as aspects. We present a case study of the development of a configurable real-time database system, called COMET, using ACCORD principles. In the COMET example we show that applying ACCORD does have an impact on the real-time system development in providing efficient configuration of the real-time system. Thus, it could be a way for improved reusability and flexibility of real-time software, and modularization of crosscutting concerns. In connection with development of ACCORD, we identify criteria that a design method for component-based real-time systems needs to address. The criteria include a well-defined component model for real-time systems, aspect separation, support for system configuration, and analysis of the composed real-time system. Using the identified set of criteria we provide an evaluation of ACCORD. In comparison with other approaches, ACCORD provides a distinct classification of crosscutting concerns in the real-time domain into different types of aspects, and provides a real-time component model that supports weaving of aspects into the code of a component, as well as a tool for temporal analysis of the weaved system. / <p>Report code: LiU-TEK-LIC-2003:23.</p>

Startups indeed play a pivotal role in society as agents of innovation and generators of employment. Despite this, a large proportion of startups fail. As a substantial amount of these temporary project-like companies called startups engage in software development and as application of project management has been correlated with project success, this research exploits a gap in the literature concerned with best practices as it pertains to project management methodologies for software development in startups. Given that a significant number of academic studies have already been conducted in the area of software development practices in startups spanning project management methodologies and software development methodologies, this research applies a strategy of systematic review as along with the application of thematic synthesis is appropriate for ascertaining the current state of knowledge and the search for some consensus. Consequently, this has been deemed to be an appropriate strategy for answering the research question: What are the best practices in applying Project Management Methodologies for software development projects in startups? The scope of the systematic review is the last decade (from 2012 to 2022) and the PRISMA framework has been used to facilitate the identification and screening of records. As a result, 17 studies with varying methods were deemed eligible and of high quality according to the quality assessment guidelines by Garousi et al. The main findings of this study identify three high-order themes for best practices in applying project management methodologies for software development in startups: Agility &amp; Maturity, Empower &amp; Value People, Tool Usage &amp; Support.

Purpose: This study investigates how software development organizations can identify and utilize tacit knowledge effectively, aiming to develop a practical framework based on empirical data. By exploring methods for accessing and sharing tacit knowledge, the research seeks to enhance organizational efficiency and innovation in software development. Method: The study is conducted through a qualitative case study within a large software development consultancy. The analysis is based on 27 interviews, conducted with employees from the case company. These were later analyzed in a thematic analysis. Findings: We have pinpointed three barriers, alongside identifying three critical components for establishing a robust organizational framework for knowledge sharing. These include culture, empowerment, and practices. Additionally, we have categorized agile practices into socialization and externalization modes and evaluated them from a knowledge sharing perspective, investigating their respective benefits and utility for knowledge sharing in an agile software development organization. Theoretical contributions: The study adds to the literature on knowledge sharing and agile knowledge management. Providing a more practical, concrete, and defined view of how knowledge can be managed, especially in agile software development organizations and contributing with a comprehensive framework for creating a knowledge sharing organization. Practical implications: The practical implication of this study is that managers can better understand different agile tools and in which way they affect knowledge sharing in the organization so that they can be applied more accurately. The framework also provides recommendations for how the organization should be structured and different aspects to focus on to best support knowledge sharing and knowledge sharing practices. Limitations and future research: The most significant limitation is that the data was collected at one consultancy company operating in the software development industry. As such, the results might lack transferability to other industries. The study also lays a foundation for future research to go deeper into specific activities and see their effects. Keywords: Tacit Knowledge, Software Development, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Management, Agile Methodologies, Software Development Life Cycle.

The component-driven approach in software development has become a favored approach when developing web applications. Developing and maintaining components are central when using the component-driven approach and it has a lot of advantages. On the other hand, developing and maintaining the components within an Integrated Development Environment can be challenging due to the lack of a visual overview of the components in extensive projects. A component playground could address this issue through its features such as implementing components in isolation that could make the development more efficient and productive in different areas. With that said, it can improve the Developer Experience which is also an understudied area.  This project aims to investigate how a component playground affects the Developer Experience focusing on component creation, development workflow, and overview of the component library. Furthermore, how the integration of a component playground in the Software Development Life Cycle affects the Developer Experience. The chosen methodology was primarily user tests of an implemented web application with the component playground Storybook integrated into it. Besides the user tests, a literature review and interviews were made to support the results of the user tests. The data from the user test were used to answer the research question and the four hypotheses of this project. The results from the user test showed that the overall Developer Experience and the overview of the component library were improved using a component playground, especially for less experienced developers. It also showed a strong indication of improved component creation and more efficient development workflow.  To conclude the Developer Experience is improved by using a component playground. However, it is important to analyze each project and developer's needs. Future research could explore a component playground's long-term effects in real projects. Furthermore, there is a lack of how to measure Developer Experience which could also be investigated.

The research reported in this thesis is an extension and application of the results first introduced by the Procedural Approach to the Evaluation of Software Development Methodologies. The evaluation procedure offers a unique perspective based on the philosophy that a software development methodology should espouse a set of objectives that are achieved by employing certain U principles throughout the software development process, such that the products generated possess certain attributes deemed desirable. Further, definite linkages exist between objectives and principles, and principles and attributes. The work described herein adopts the perspective offered by the evaluation procedure and applies a critical analysis to the process-product relationships in DoD-STD-2l67 and DoD-STD-2l68. In support of the analysis, Augmented Data Flow Diagrams are introduced as an effective tool for concisely capturing the information in both standards. The results of the analysis offer a deeper insight into the requirements for defense system software development, such that one is able to better understand the development process, and more intelligently assess the quality of the software and documentation produced. / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 C68 / Master of Science