# Successful Management of Cloud Based Global Software Development Projects: A Multivocal Study

**Authors:** Muhammad Azeem Akbar, Sajjad Mehmood, Arif Ali Khan  
**arXiv:** [2208.08743](https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.08743)  
**Date:** 2022-08-18  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2208.08743v1/

## Key points

- Cloud-based Global Software Development (CGSD) is an emerging approach in the software industry
- CGSD involves using cloud computing services to support global software projects
- CGSD has a significant impact on both strategic and operational aspects of project management
- A Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) was conducted to identify success factors for managing CGSD projects
- 32 success factors were identified, including time to market, continuous development, financial restructuring, and scalability
- There is a positive correlation between success factors reported in formal literature and industry-based grey literature
- Implementing these success factors can enhance project management practices in CGSD
- Cloud service providers offer various software services such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
- Cloud sourcing provides utility computing options with different deployment models like private, public, hybrid, and community
- Previous research has highlighted how cloud sourcing can address challenges in global software development
- Future research should continue exploring related work and motivations to advance understanding of CGSD project management.

## Summary

The software industry is constantly seeking new ways to improve application development, and one emerging approach is Cloud-based Global Software Development (CGSD). This refers to the use of cloud computing services by organizations to support global software projects. CGSD has a significant impact on both the strategic and operational aspects of project management. The objective of this study was to identify the success factors that contribute to the effective management of CGSD projects. To achieve this, a Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) was conducted, which involved analyzing both state-of-the-art research and industry-based grey literature. A total of 32 success factors were identified. The findings of the MLR revealed that several key success factors are crucial for managing CGSD projects. These include time to market, continuous development, financial restructuring, and scalability. Importantly, there was a positive correlation between the success factors reported in formal literature and those found in industry-based grey literature. The implications of these findings are significant for practitioners in the field who can use them to develop effective strategies for managing CGSD projects. By understanding and implementing these success factors, organizations can enhance their project management practices in the context of CGSD. Moving forward, it is important to consider related work and motivations for this study. Cloud service providers offer various software services such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). Cloud sourcing provides utility computing options with different deployment models like private, public, hybrid, and community. Previous research has highlighted how cloud sourcing can address challenges faced by global software development such as risk management models used to analyze risks in cloud-based GSD processes; tools created to compare traditional development methods with cloud-based GSD in terms of time and cost effectiveness; reducing feedback latency in agile global software development projects; allowing developers to focus on project delivery; managing software development activities conducted in distributed environments; identifying benefits and risks associated with cloud-based distributed software development; using cloud platforms to address temporal differences and task synchronization; proposing software development as a service architectures for GSD projects in the cloud. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the success factors for managing CGSD projects. By considering these factors, practitioners can enhance their project management strategies and improve the overall effectiveness of CGSD projects. Future research should continue to explore related work and motivations in order to further advance our understanding of CGSD project management.