Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> Knowledge transfer is one of the most critical success factors in IT offshore outsourcing projects and in many cases extremely underestimated. Compared to in-house or onsite projects, a much higher complexity appears in globally distributed projects. Not only language barriers but also other challenges such as cultural differences, diverse time-zones, distinct methods and approaches, as well as varied infrastructural equipment, may cause problems which negatively impact knowledge transfer, and in consequence, the overall success of a project. In order to minimize risks during knowledge transfer, we conducted a research study based on a literature review and expert interviews. The result of our study was a collection and description of best practices and the development of recommendations by linking proven solutions to identified problem areas. <s> BIB001 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> Knowledge management (KM) is key to the success of any software organization. KM in software development has been the center of attention for researchers due to its potential to improve productivity. However, the knowledge is not only stored in repositories but is also shared in the office space. Agile software development teams use the benefits of shared space to foster knowledge creation. But it is difficult to create and share this type of knowledge, when team members are distributed. This participatory single-case study indicates that, distributed team members rely heavily on knowledge codification and application of tools for knowledge sharing. We have found that, the studied project did not use any specific software or hardware that would enable spatial knowledge creation and sharing. Therefore parts of the knowledge items not codified were destined to be unavailable for remote team members. <s> BIB002 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> Context: Software engineering is a knowledge intensive activity that is supported by documenting and sharing the required knowledge through a wide variety of artifacts. Global Software Development (GSD) teams heavily rely on artifacts as a vital means of knowledge sharing. However, there is little empirical knowledge about the key reasons and practices of using artifacts in GSD for knowledge sharing to support common understanding of technical specifications. Objective: This study aims at empirically studying the key motivators, practices, and drawbacks of artifact-based knowledge sharing for achieving common understanding of technical specifications in the context of GSD. Method: We conducted an exploratory case study in an organization that was involved in several GSD projects. Results: Our findings revealed the key challenges that necessitated the use of artifacts for sharing technical specification knowledge. We also present the practices that make up the artifact-based knowledge sharing system in the studied case. Finally, we shed some light on the caveats of knowledge sharing practices adopted by the studied company. The findings can provide useful insights into the artifact-based knowledge sharing practices and how it can be complemented by having certain level of social ties among distributed team members, even through asynchronous means. <s> BIB003 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> Knowledge transfer is a critical factor in ensuring the success of offshore outsourcing software development projects and is, in many cases, neglected. Compared to in-house or co-located projects, however, such globally distributed projects feature far greater complexity. In addition to language barriers, factors such as cultural differences, time zone variance, distinct methods and practices, as well as unique equipment and infrastructure can all lead to problems that negatively impact knowledge transfer, and as a result, a project's overall success. In order to help minimise such risks to knowledge transfer, we conducted a research study based on expert interviews in six projects. Our study used German clients and focused on offshore outsourcing software development projects. We first identified known problems in knowledge transfer that can occur with offshore outsourcing projects. Then we collected best-practice solutions proven to overcome the types of problems described. Afterward, we conducted a follow-up study to evaluate our findings. In this subsequent stage, we presented our findings to a different group of experts in five projects and asked them to evaluate these solutions and recommendations in terms of our original goal, namely to find ways to minimise knowledge-transfer problems in offshore outsourcing software development projects. Thus, the result of our study is a catalog of evaluated solutions and associated recommendations mapped to the identified problem areas. <s> BIB004 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> We present systematic literature review of 61 primary studies (2000September 2014) that empirically reported knowledge sharing challenges and practices in Global Software Development (GSD).We found knowledge sharing challenges and practices in GSD could be classified in 6 main themes: management, team structure, work processes/practices, team cognition, social attributes and technology.Regarding contextual settings, we found empirical studies were mainly conducted in offshore outsourcing collaboration model distributed between two sites. Most of the studied organizations were large enterprises. ContextGlobal Software Development (GSD) presents significant challenges to share and understand knowledge required for developing software. Organizations are expected to implement appropriate practices to address knowledge-sharing challenges in GSD. With the growing literature on GSD and its widespread adoption, it is important to build a body of knowledge to support future research and effective knowledge sharing practices. ObjectiveWe aimed at systematically identifying and synthesizing knowledge sharing challenges and practices. We also intended to classify the recurrent challenges and most frequently reported practices in different contextual settings. MethodWe used Systematic Literature Review (SLR) for reviewing 61 primary studies that were selected after searching the GSD literature published over the last 14 years (2000September 2014). We applied thematic analysis method for analysing the data extracted from the reviewed primary studies. ResultsOur findings revealed that knowledge sharing challenges and practices in GSD could be classified in 6 main themes: management, team structure, work processes/practices, team cognition, social attributes and technology. In regard to contextual settings, we found empirical studies were mainly conducted in an offshore outsourcing collaboration model distributed between two sites. Most of the studied organizations were large enterprises. Many of the studies did not report any information for several contextual attributes that made it difficult to analyse the reported challenges and practices with respect to their respective contexts. ConclusionWe can conclude: (a) there is a higher tendency among researchers to report practices than challenges of knowledge sharing in GSD. (b) Given our analysis, most of the reported knowledge sharing challenges and practices fall under the theme of work practices. (c) The technology related knowledge-sharing challenges are the least reported; we discussed the available technologies for supporting knowledge sharing needs in GSD. (d) The organizational contextual information is missing from a large number of studies; hence, it was not possible to investigate the potential relations between knowledge sharing challenges/practices and the contextual attributes of GSD teams. We assert the need of exploring knowledge sharing in the context of small/medium sized organizations to avoid the risk of findings being biased by specific empirical setting (e.g., large enterprises distributed between US and India). <s> BIB005 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> While the literature offers several frameworks that explain barriers to knowledge sharing within software development teams, little is known about differences in how team members perceive these barriers. Based on an in-depth multi-case study of four software projects, we investigate how project managers, developers, testers and user representatives think about barriers to effective knowledge sharing in agile development. Adapting comparative causal mapping, we constructed causal maps for each of the four roles and identified overlap and divergence in map constructs and causal linkages. The results indicate that despite certain similarities, the four roles differ in how they perceive and emphasize knowledge-sharing barriers. The project managers put primary emphasis on project setting barriers, while the primary concern of developers, testers and user representatives were project communication, project organization and team capabilities barriers, respectively. Integrating the four causal maps and the agile literature, we propose a conceptual framework with seven types of knowledge-sharing barriers and 37 specific barriers. We argue that to bridge communication gaps and create shared understanding in software teams, it is critical to take the revealed concerns of different roles into account. We conclude by discussing our findings in relation to knowledge sharing in agile teams and software teams more generally. <s> BIB006 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> 2) TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP <s> In the context of Global Software Development (GSD), team members face a number of challenges that needs to be solved. One of them relates to the transfer of knowledge needed to fulfil the required tasks. The knowledge transfer process may be organized and implemented in various ways, as companies use varying strategies to transfer knowledge from onsite to offshore sites. However, without effective knowledge management practices, success in GSD will be difficult. In this paper, we aims to identify the process activities of knowledge transfer in globally distributed teams, challenges and suitable solutions for effective knowledge transfer. In order to achieve this objective, a systematic literature review (SLR) of the existing knowledge transfer literature is conducted. Our findings describing the process of knowledge transfer in globally distributed teams, a set of challenges and recommended practices for effective knowledge transfer. Finally, we conclude this study with a discussion of the directions for further and future research. <s> BIB007
Many of the selected studies have highlighted ''technological gap'' as one of the major factor that impedes KS BIB005 , BIB002 , BIB003 , BIB006 , BIB007 ,  , BIB001 . In globally dispersed teams, technological knowledge gaps arise due to difference in experience and educational background. By increasing the number of team members in offshore teams, significant amount of technological knowledge gap was noticed in geographically dispersed team members. The difference in educational level of offshore team members was identified as the main reason for this problem. It was also noted that vast majority of the offshore team members were fresh graduates who had no knowledge regarding complex software testing within virtual teams BIB005 . Another study also highlighted the fact that domain knowledge varies from country to country. This leads to critical situation in which onsite team members assume that the project specifications have been understood whereas team members on other locations did not provide a valid feedback because of lack of understanding BIB004 .