Using distributed cognition theory for analyzing the deployment architecture process

Abstract

Deployment architecture is an important part of the software development lifecycle. Our preliminary research indicates that the process of constructing the deployment architecture holds several challenges which, if not properly met, may hinder the success of the project and result in low customer satisfaction. In this ongoing research, we analyze this process in different firms, in an attempt to understand its challenges towards proposing strategies for its improvement. To this end, we collected data via 25 questionnaires at a global IT firm, and 12 in-depth interviews with architects from 10 firms. Analyzing the data qualitatively, through the lens of distributed cognition theory, helped us to understand the structure and flow of this multiple-stakeholders process and identify common potential pain points and challenges that need to be addressed. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.