Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Architectural Knowledge Management (AKM) aims to coordinate the knowledge produced and used during architecting a software system. Managing architectural knowledge effectively is a task that becomes even more critical and complex when operating in a distributed environment. Thus, software architectural practices, processes, and tools that work in collocated software development don’t necessarily scale up in a distributed environment. In this paper, we perform a literature review that looks at AKM in a Global Software Development (GSD) context. We attempt to synthesize AKM concepts, practices, tools and challenges important in GSD. In order to provide a common understanding for the central concepts of AKM in GSD in an abstract way, we have created a metamodel which is based on our literature review. The metamodel defines a set of architecture knowledge and global software development entities and their relationships. <s> BIB001 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Achieving a shared understanding of requirements is difficult in any situation, even more so in global software development projects. In such environments, people must deal not only with the lack of face to face communication, but also with other issues such as time difference, cultural diversity and a large amount of information originating from different sources throughout the world. Obtaining the right requirements therefore implies extra effort. In order to minimize such problems, we propose a framework that focuses on analyzing the factors that may be problematic in global software development and which suggests a set of strategies to improve the requirements elicitation process in such environments. In this paper, we describe the different phases of our framework and present the results of an experiment that test part of this framework. The results indicate that applying some of the strategies proposed in the framework seems to positively affect the stakeholders’ satisfaction with regard to communication. Moreover, the quality of the written software requirements specifications seems to be better as well when using those strategies. <s> BIB002 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> While organisations recognise the advantages offered by global software development, many socio-technical barriers affect successful collaboration in this inter-cultural environment. In this paper, we present a review of the global software development literature where we highlight collaboration problems experienced by a cross-section of organisations in twenty-six studies. We also look at the literature to answer how organisations are overcoming these barriers in practice. We build on our previous study on global software development where we define collaboration as four practices related to agreeing, allocating, and planning goals, objectives, and tasks among distributed teams. We found that the key barriers to collaboration are geographic, temporal, cultural, and linguistic distance; the primary solutions to overcoming these barriers include site visits, synchronous communication technology, and knowledge sharing infrastructure to capture implicit knowledge and make it explicit. <s> BIB003 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Purpose – The creation of offshore units allows companies to invest in countries that offer tax incentives, and provides global presence. Nevertheless, knowledge sharing in global teams may be challenger. The aim of this paper is to analyze the barriers of knowledge sharing in global teams.Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative research based on interviews in two firms.Findings – The interviewees confirmed the relevance of the barriers to knowledge sharing identified in the literature. The interviewees also cited other four barriers: technology, professional skills, cost and methodology of software development. Other results were: the relationship between the barriers, for example, cultural differences are negatively related to absorptive capacity; and, the barriers could also be enablers for knowledge sharing.Research limitations/implications – The limitations identified were: the use the interview as the only form of data collection, since the firms did not authorize the collection of docum... <s> BIB004 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Abstract In a high-technology field such as the software business, there are many companies striving for growth. For small software firms organic growth is a natural way to grow and often the chosen route. Effective knowledge sharing is crucial for an organically growing software company to extract maximum benefit from its existing resources. However, it can be argued that there exist many barriers to effective knowledge sharing in an organic growth context. For companies that have an intention to grow it is important to identify these possible pitfalls lining the growth path. Using an empirical case study, this paper aims to increase the understanding of the biggest potential knowledge sharing barriers that an organically growing software company may face. Management able to recognize such barriers to knowledge sharing could support growth by acting to prevent the barriers from arising and eliminating those already in place. <s> BIB005 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <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> BIB006 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Knowledge management (KM) is essential for success in global software development. Software organizations are now managing knowledge in innovative ways to increase productivity. In agile software development, collaboration and coordination depend on the communication, which is the key to success. To maintain effective collaboration and coordination in distributed agile projects, practitioners need to adopt different types of knowledge sharing techniques and strategies. There are also few studies that focus on knowledge sharing in distributed agile projects. This research identified the knowledge sharing techniques and strategies applied by the practitioners in distributed agile projects. Challenges faced by the practitioners during knowledge sharing in distributed agile projects are also identified and discussed. <s> BIB007 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Context: Success of any software depends on the successful implementation of all of its Requirements. There exist a lot of challenges in successful implementation of requirement engineering (RE) process especially when we talk about global software development (GSD). Objective: The objective is to find challenges and barriers in path of RE in context of GSD and analyze the factors which influence the RE in GSD. Method: We have used systematic literature review (SLR) approach for our study. SLR is based on a planned protocol and is more thorough and systematic than ordinary literature survey Result: We have identified critical challenges like ‘Lack of effective communication’, ‘Organizational change’, ‘Lack of coordination and collaboration’, ‘Lack of knowledge-sharing and awareness’. We have identified critical challenges like ‘Lack of effective communication’, ‘Organizational change’, ‘Lack of coordination and collaboration’ which are common in both periods from 2000 to 2006 and 2007 to 2014. <s> BIB008 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <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> BIB009 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Knowledge Management (KM) and knowledge sharing (KS) have become crucial tasks for both Middle Managers and Top Managers of many organizations, especially those who highly rely on the type of knowledge which is difficult to transfer from one person to another, or what is called "Tacit Knowledge". The objective of this case study is to review the practical knowledge transfer techniques, the main motivators and demotivators of a tacit knowledge transfer process, and the measures that can be taken to overcome the demotivation factors. Siemens is chosen for this case study because it has been recently rated as one of the top Knowledge-Management-driven companies. We present here our own observations on some of the KM practices that Siemens strives to implement in its branches in the Middle East countries and the barriers which are challenging such practices. <s> BIB010 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <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> BIB011 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <s> Virtual teams, with a high level of interdependence and cooperation among team members, are one of the building blocks of successful global software organizations. Shared team knowledge is vital for effective collaboration in virtual teams. Hence, it makes sense for organizations to put in place efforts to ensure that teams have a sufficient level of shared knowledge. A successful agile virtual team needs to have shared knowledge on the tasks and how to do them, who knows what in the team, the development process, and the goals of the team. While shared knowledge helps on communication and collaboration, virtual teams meet several challenges in the form of values and norms, lack of face-to-face communication, time-zone differences, and difficulties in building and maintaining trust. We describe and discuss how a framework for establishing shared knowledge was applied to a global virtual agile team in a Product Centre at DNV GL -- an international provider of software for a safer, smarter and greener future in the energy, process and maritime industries. The whole group of 22 met face to face once a year, and we describe how they in one such team gathering worked on creating shared understanding about the task, the team, the process and goals of the virtual team. <s> BIB012 </s> Systematic Literature Review of Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Facilitators in Global Software Development Organizations Using Concept Maps <s> E. GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS (GB) 1) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE <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> BIB013
The distance between geographically dispersed team acts a barrier and causes communication issues  , BIB008 , BIB009 . The physical distance between subproject participants prevented informal communication BIB001 . The study BIB010 found that 23% of the team members considered ''far distance between work locations'' as a barrier for KS. Distance was also mentioned as barrier by an interviewee as it limits the connectivity to the right resources BIB004 . KS process becomes easier when team members meet casually, which happens when the distance between team members is not a concern. However, in case of growing software development organizations, the growing distance between offshore team members hinders KS BIB005 . Face to face communication is also difficult when large distance is involved in teams, hence communication becomes difficult as compared to nearby team members BIB006 ,  . 2) TIME ZONE DIFFERENCE Time zone difference makes communication between distributed team members difficult and challenging BIB003 , BIB007 , BIB011 , BIB012 . Difference in time zone decreases the mechanisms of KS and creates communication gaps between distant team members BIB013 , BIB004 . Time zone variance is found to negatively impact knowledge transfer and overall success of any project BIB006 . Delays in overall project execution and delivery occur due to absence of synchronous collaboration because of difference in time zone BIB002 . Fig. 8 presents the geographical barriers identified in this SLR.