Software requirements specification in global software development – what's the difference?

Abstract

Global software development (GSD) is becoming the standard approach in the software industry. In software projects, the quality of the software requirements specification (SRS) is a crucial success factor. However, little is known about how to write high quality SRS within GSD projects. The question is: "What notation of quality shall we employ for SRS that are used in GSD projects?" In this paper, we use the IEEE Standard 830 as a basis to answers this question. This standard defines several quality attributes of 'good SRS'. For each of the quality attributes, we explain its specific role in GSD and point out means to achieve compliance with it. We argue that the negative impact in not complying with the quality attributes is exacerbated in GSD. Combining these results with our previous work on inspections, we derive our main conclusion: The quality attribute which has to be treated most carefully in GSD is 'external completeness'. The paper includes a concise checklist to assess SRS in GSD projects. The results thus provide tangible benefits to practitioners. We also point out research questions with high relevance for the industry.