Around the world, an overwhelming majority of enterprises are very small or small. So that software Industry is not the exception. Although small software companies play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries, they have to work hard in order to survive. They usually find it challenging to spend time and effort on improving their operations and processes. Moreover, technical knowledge and tools are not enough. Their ability to manage human issues is an important and particularly challenging aspect which has been scarcely studied. Therefore, it is important to address such needs by the introduction of a framework that specifies ways of getting things done while consciously encourage them to enhance their ability to improve. In spite of the fact that there are many software process improvement approaches, none of them address the human factors of small companies in a comprehensive and holistic way. Consequently, this thesis is aimed at the definition of a framework to integrate human factors in the daily work as a way to deal with that challenge.
The resolution of the problem has been approached from a human point of view taking in consideration aspects belonging to others disciplines such as visual thinking, psychology and management. The proposed solution provides a framework, called Samay, to support the human factors in software microenterprises that can be tailored to the actual and concrete situation of each organization, and that provides suitable techniques to enhance human factors involved in software development. Furthermore, this study suggests managing human factors but pointing out the software process life cycle. The purpose is to converge toward a continuous improvement by means of alternative mechanisms that impact on people. This framework was developed based upon reviews of relevant standards (such as ISO/IEC 29110, ISO 10018, OMG Essence and ISO/IEC 33014) and previously published studies in this field. This framework is composed of a kernel, corresponding to a software development process, and two groups of elements called complement and support. First group is directly linked to the development process which includes: software development process flow, roles and responsibilities, and competencies and competency levels. Second group is trying to facilitate the adoption of the framework by two components: initiation and change management.
The development of this thesis has followed a consistent and integral research methodology that has included a systematic literature review and qualitative methods such as interviews and focus group. Moreover, an expert review and validation findings supported the view that Samay could support practitioners when small software companies want to start improving their ways of work. In the last phase of the research methodology an empirical validation has been performed through its implementation in one case study in order to verify the applicability of the framework. The data obtained from the validation indicate that the application of the framework introduces a positive change of the job satisfaction and communication.
Finally, it is concluded that the job satisfaction and communication in software development remains a challenge. To reduce this difficulty, this thesis sheds some light on the topic by providing a framework to trigger human factors in daily basis.
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