A software agent framework for the support of software project management

Numerous software development projects do not live up to expectations or sadly fail. This can be seen in the fact that software projects often do not comply with the traditional standard measurements of success, namely time, cost and specifications. Traditionally, individual software projects were executed at a single location. However, due to globalisation and advances in computing technologies, this has changed, and software projects are developed and deployed in distributed and collaborative environments. This means that traditional project management methods cannot and do not address the added complexities found in a distributed environment, such as efficient task scheduling, tracking and monitoring, as well as effective sharing of information and knowledge among project contributors. High levels of collaboration, task interdependence and distribution have become essential across time, space and technology. In this paper the utilisation of stationary and mobile software agents is investigated as a potential tool to improve software project management processes. We also propose and discuss a software agent framework to support distributed software project management. Although still in its initial phases, this research shows promise of significant results in enabling software developers to meet market expectations, and produce projects timeously, within budget and to users' satisfaction.