Studying the Impact of Global Software Development Characteristics on Project Goals: A Causal Model

Despite the growing importance of global software development (GSD), a high failure rate of GSD projects is reported in the literature. In order to understand the underlying reasons, the goals of GSD projects and the special characteristics of GSD that might have an influence on these goals have to be identified. This article presents a combined literature and interview study aimed at identifying goals and influencing factors in GSD and integrates them into a causal model. The article presents the goal and design of the study; the literature review, which resulted in a preliminary model of factors and cause-effect relationships; and the revision of the model based on interviews with practitioners in GSD.