Qualitative Research on Software Development: A Longitudinal Case Study Methodology

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how longitudinal qualitative case studies can enrich understanding of complex software development processes, providing detailed methods and insights for researchers in the field.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive qualitative methodology for longitudinal case studies in software engineering, highlighting its utility and addressing common criticisms.

Findings

Gained deep insights into software development over time

Identified key factors influencing project success

Validated the effectiveness of qualitative longitudinal methods

Abstract

This paper reports the use of a qualitative methodology for conducting longitudinal case study research on software development. We provide a detailed description and explanation of appropriate methods of qualitative data collection and analysis that can be utilized by other researchers in the software engineering field. Our aim is to illustrate the utility of longitudinal case study research, as a complement to existing methodologies for studying software development, so as to enable the community to develop a fuller and richer understanding of this complex, multi-dimensional phenomenon. We discuss the insights gained and lessons learned from applying a longitudinal qualitative approach to an empirical case study of a software development project in a large multi-national organization. We evaluate the methodology used to emphasize its strengths and to address the criticisms traditionally made of qualitative research.