An Initial Framework for Researching Follow-the-Sun Software Development

Global software companies are restructuring their IT area by extending operations to offshore software development centers. Thus, follow-the-sun (FTS) development is seen as a potential software development strategy for these companies. But so far, FTS is relatively understudied (only nine empirical studies published). Moreover, the success cases of FTS usage in the software industry are still small. The lack of studies to close the gap between theory and practice is observed as the main barrier to the FTS evolution. In this study, we present a framework to support research on FTS software development. The proposed framework aims to support empirical studies and meta-analysis on FTS. Based on a comprehensive literature review, we propose an initial framework for researching FTS software development, including independent, dependent and context variables. Additionally, we discuss research challenges, and directions for future research. Our paper aims to provide both a guide and motivation for researchers to better understand how to research FTS and to develop new theories in the area.