Initial Findings from a Study of Best Practices and Models for Cyberinfrastructure Software Sustainability

TL;DR

This study identifies common themes and recommendations from interviews with leaders of successful cyberinfrastructure software projects, providing guidance on best practices and management models for software sustainability.

Contribution

It offers new insights into effective strategies and management models that contribute to the sustainability of cyberinfrastructure software based on expert interviews.

Findings

Identification of common themes and best practices

Recommendations for sustainable software management

Insights from interviews with project leaders

Abstract

We present a set of common themes and recommendations extracted from in depth interviews with the leaders of 12 distinct cyberinfrastructure software projects. These interviews were conducted as part of a larger study to identify and elucidate the best practices and management models that lead to sustainability for cyberinfrastructure software. Respondents in a formal survey of cyberinfrastructure users identified these projects as good examples of sustained software initiatives. While there is clearly no single method or plan that will guarantee sustainability for all projects, we can draw general guidance from these exemplars. This paper presents the common themes, ideas, and recommendations that emerged from those interviews.