A tool framework for deriving the application architecture for global software development projects

Abstract

In order to meet the communication, coordination and control requirements of distributed Global Software Development (GSD) teams, it is necessary to define a proper software architecture. Designing a GSD architecture, however, involves a multitude of design decisions that are related in different ways. As such, it is not trivial for the architect to design a system that meets the different GSD concerns. To assist the architect in designing a suitable GSD architecture we propose the tool framework Global Architect. The tool framework is based on a common meta-model for GSD and a question framework, which includes a predefined set of questions that are related to abstract design rules for designing GSD systems. Based on the answers provided to the questions of the question framework, the tool automatically selects and instantiates the necessary rules and generates the GSD architecture. Global Architect has been applied to design the GSD architecture for a real industrial project of Cybersoft, a leading GSD company in Turkey. © 2012 IEEE.