Systematic literature reviews in global software development: A tertiary study

Context: There has been an increase in research into global software development (GSD) and in the number of systematic literature reviews (SLRs) addressing this topic. Objective: The aim of this research is to catalogue GSD SLRs in order to identify the topics covered, the active researchers, the publication vehicles, and to assess the quality of the SLRs identified. Method: We performed a broad automated search to find SLRs dealing with GSD. We differentiate between SLR studies and papers reporting those studies. Data relating to each of the following was extracted and synthesized from each study: authors and their affiliation at the time of publication, the journal or conference in which the paper was published, the quality of each study and the main GSD study topic. Results: Twenty-four GSD SLR studies and 37 papers reporting those studies were identified. Major GSD topics covered include: (1) organizational environment, (2) project execution, and (3) project planning and control. The main research groups are based in Brazil (17), Ireland (8), and Sweden (7). Conclusions: GSD SLR studies are most frequently reported in the International Conference on Global Software Engineering and IEEE Software; the two most popular topics for research are risk factors due to the organizational environment and the development process. The most active researchers are based in Brazil. The quality of the SLR studies has not changed over time.