SHF:Small:Exploring the Synergy between Software Design and Organizational Structure

SHF：小：探索软件设计与组织结构之间的协同作用

• 批准号: 0916891
• 负责人: Yuanfang Cai
• 金额: $ 49.66万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0916891&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SHF; Small; Exploring; Synergy; between

Many successful large-scale software systems share a fundamental characteristic: their modular structures enable system-wide advances though distributed and parallelized improvement of modules. However, merely breaking software into modules, without assessing the interplay between a design and the organization that must instantiate it, does not always ensure that parallelized, module-wise evolution is effective. In particular, mismatches between design and organizational structures can result in expensive inter-team communication costs, exacerbated by barriers such as differing time zones, languages and cultures. This research aims to formally express and quantitatively assess the key characteristics of software structures that allow for system-wide evolution through distributed module-wise contributions, and to account for the relationship between design structure and organizational structure, as it impacts software quality, productivity, and survival. The work will explore a computable socio-technical model, associated metrics and automated analysis techniques to improve the conduct of software development. The approach will allow designers to assess and manipulate software designs at early development stages so that modules can be defined and implemented by independent teams, shortening development time, facilitating changes, and minimizing coordination costs. The results will be demonstrated on large software systems, working with industrial partners who wish to understand the impact of these techniques.

许多成功的大​​规模软件系统具有一个基本特征：它们的模块化结构可以通过模块的分布和并行化改进系统范围的进步。但是，仅将软件分解为模块，而无需评估设计与必须实例化的组织之间的相互作用，并不能总是确保平行的，模块的进化是有效的。特别是，设计和组织结构之间的不匹配可能会导致昂贵的团队间沟通成本，这会受到诸如时空，语言和文化等不同障碍的加剧。 这项研究旨在正式表达和定量评估软件结构的关键特征，这些软件结构可以通过分布式模块的贡献进行系统范围的进化，并考虑到设计结构与组织结构之间的关系，因为它会影响软件质量，生产力和生存。 这项工作将探索可计算的社会技术模型，相关的指标和自动分析技术，以改善软件开发的行为。该方法将允许设计人员在早期开发阶段进行评估和操纵软件设计，以便可以由独立团队定义和实施模块，缩短开发时间，促进变化并最大程度地减少协调成本。结果将在大型软件系统上进行证明，并与希望了解这些技术的影响的工业合作伙伴合作。