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Abstract: In order to realize a change from manual workshop model development to engineering and scaling-up model development, a software outsourcing company needs a platform to complete the whole process for software development such as requirements analysis, general design, detailed design, coding, test and project management etc. as well as to realize the share of information among clients, developers, testers, managers to improve the development efficiency and quality. The automatic generation of software outsourcing design specification based on .NET is a very important part for this platform. And the realization of automatic generation of detailed design specification for software outsourcing project will improve the efficiency to compile the detailed design specification as well to standardize the compilation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Most studies of software outsourcing focus on how to manage outsourcing from the perspective of the outsourcer. There are few studies of outsourcing presented from the viewpoint of the supplier. Given that more and more Chinese software companies are getting software outsourcing subcontracts from all over the world, it is important to understand how software outsourcing projects are actually performed in China, and to identify ways in which performance might be improved. Our study first collected data through a questionnaire-based survey from 53 finished projects in 41 Chinese software suppliers. A follow-up study was performed by telephone interviews with 11 participants, to find explanations for phenomena revealed by the preceding survey. The results show that: (a) differences in natural languages are not a real obstacle for Chinese software suppliers; (b) e-mail is most used to discuss issues related to development, while face-to-face meetings are mainly used to discuss issues related to management and requirements; and (c) the two main reasons for overtime work at the Chinese suppliers are changes to the design or requirements that are proposed by the outsourcers and the suppliers' initial underestimation of the effort required. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an empirical investigation of difficulties in offshore software outsourcing relationships. We undertake an investigation of eighteen high maturity software vendor companies based in India. An analysis of the literature suggests that the difficulties in offshore outsourcing relationships have been relatively unexplored. Therefore a detailed investigation of the difficulties in commercial offshore software outsourcing relationships is presented. We use the multiple case study research methodology in this study. We collect qualitative data through the standardized open-ended interviews and analyze it through a grounded theory approach. Results of this study indicate that outsourcing vendors are aware of potential difficulties that could be faced by both vendors and clients in offshore software outsourcing. The main offshore software outsourcing difficulties uncovered by this investigation include cultural differences, expectation mismatch, language differences, loss of control, job loss and transition. We also propose provisional solutions to the emergent difficulties identified in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the range of software sourcing options and compares the characteristics of the software as a service via application service providers (ASPs) model of sourcing against three other key outsourcing models. Following this analysis, the results of an exploratory study of (he software as a service model of sourcing within the UK business context are presented. By contrasting the characteristics of the various sourcing models against the results of the survey, the paper concludes ASPs who focus their marketing and develop effective client handling skills are likely to succeed and grow despite the current economic downturn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Requirements in the software market for reduced costs, reduced development cycle time, as well as shortages of software developers, have motivated software organizations to outsource product development processes or components. The primary objective of this research is to determine whether software organizations can improve their software outsourcing strategies and processes in response to these forces. This research utilizes simulation modeling to explore the dynamics of outsourcing relationships, including both positive and negative outcomes, as well as to provide potential decision support for strategic outsourcing decisions. The model's current implementation, applicability and usefulness are demonstrated with an example use case and analysis of simulation results. We also present suggestions for future research directions on software outsourcing strategies and processes. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]