A Systematic Literature Review on Software Maintenance Offshoring Decisions

Abstract

Context

Over the last decades, the rapid expansion of the internet has prompted an increasing number of organizations that have taken their work global and have outsourced their information technology (IT) activities to specialized suppliers. The longest part of the software life cycle includes software maintenance, which consumes 60-70% of the total IT budget. Therefore, organizations have adopted offshoring strategies to reduce maintenance costs and free up resources to focus on their core competencies. Offshore outsourcing decision-making involves technical, social, and other influencing factors; however, there is a limited understanding of the key factors associated with offshoring software maintenance within the global software development context.

Objective

This work presents the factors that have influenced the decision-making process of offshoring software maintenance. Further, this research sheds light on decision-making by identifying the models, frameworks, and software tools used within this context.

Method

A systematic literature review is conducted, delving into the factors related to the decision-making and analyzing the models, frameworks and tools supporting offshoring software maintenance.

Results

This study identifies the top 10 key factors concerning the decision-making process, namely human communication, cost reduction, organizational and employee maturity, project management practices, IT infrastructure support, language constraints, knowledge-based support, changes in requirements, legal issues and cultural diversity. In addition, the models, frameworks, and tools used in the decision-making process of software maintenance are analyzed, and research gaps are identified.

Conclusion

The findings reveal that the software industry lacks effective and efficient models tailored explicitly for software offshoring within the global software development landscape. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the decision-making dynamics of software maintenance offshoring by identifying key factors and research gaps that can pave the way for developing more effective decision support systems.