Presentation Abstract

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new development trend in software industry and to present the initial findings in evaluating specific requirements for software process improvement in Virtual Software Environments (VSE). Surveys were designed with the purpose of identifying key issues of successful software development in Virtual Software Organisations (VSO).

The results of the survey indicate that a suitable process approach for managing and improving the software development process is also the most important issue in achieving product quality improvement in VSE. This issue has not been addressed by existing software process models. Research suggests that a software process model for Teleworking software development based on the modification of the BOOTSTRAP process assessment and improvement approach may be generated. To provide the necessary groundwork in developing such a model, the focus of this paper is the analysis of the BOOTSTRAP modelĖs methodology, with the identification of the issues that are not covered in BOOTSTRAP. As a consequence of this study, the possible extensions are suggested.

About the Authors

Hong Guo is a Ph.D. research student at Research Centre of Computer Systems, Southampton Institute, in UK. Her research interests include software development, software process assessment and improvement, quality control. Hong Guo received a MSc Diploma from Tsing-hua University, Peking, in 1987 and a B.Sc. from Luoyang Institute of Technology in 1982, both in Solid Mechanics in P.R.China. She was a senior lecturer at university in P. R. China, teaching and research in programming languages, software design and development, solid mechanics analysis and finite element analysis.

Graham King is Professor of Computer Systems Engineering at Southampton Institute in U.K.. His expertise lies in Data Compression & Communication, mobile radio condition monitoring, VLSI systems and parallel computation. In the course of having succesfully completed numerous research programmes for commercial and non-commercial research sponsors, he has over 80 publications (conferences, journals, books) and he is named inventor in a project for which patent protection is currently being sought.