Customization approach and software quality mapping model to improve SaaS customization
Software as a Service (SaaS) is widely used for a wide range of applications development. Therefore, the SaaS should capacitate itself to offer services to many customers having their own specific requirements, without encountering software quality problems. Hence, understanding SaaS customizatio...
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Main Author: | |
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Format: | Thesis |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/98084/1/FSKTM%202021%2011-%20IR.1.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/98084/ |
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Summary: | Software as a Service (SaaS) is widely used for a wide range of applications development.
Therefore, the SaaS should capacitate itself to offer services to many
customers having their own specific requirements, without encountering software
quality problems. Hence, understanding SaaS customization’s impact on
the software quality will mitigate the risk. However, studies on the effects of
software customization on the quality of SaaS application are still lacking. Furthermore,
it is essential to record the customization category to ascertain the impact
and risks linked to specific types of customization. Any form of SaaS customization
is likely to influence the software quality. Accordingly, customization
types and customization practices in the context of multi-tenant SaaS should be
identified prior to assessing the impact of customization.
Although several researchers have clearly stated the need for emphasis on SaaS
application customization, there remains a dearth of knowledge on software customization
types and practices in the SaaS multi-tenant context. Hence, the aim
of this research is to propose a customization approach and software quality
mapping model that provides three main information: 1) software customization
types and a list of common practices for each customization type in the SaaS
Multi-Tenant context, 2) key quality attributes of SaaS applications associated
with customization, and 3) empirical evidence on the impact of each customization
type over SaaS quality. The proposed model was initially constructed from
46 customization practices and 13 quality attributes in the SaaS multi-tenant context.
Each investigated customization practice was deductively assigned to one
of the customization approaches (personalization, configuration, composition,
modification, integration, and extension).
The model was content validated in two rounds and necessary changes were
made as suggested by the content experts. Subsequently, the internal consistency
reliability study among 34 software engineers was conducted and showed
that all constructs are reliable. The model then had undergone further investigation
to empirically assess construct reliability, construct validity, and the effect of
each customization approach on the SaaS quality by surveying 244 software professionals
who have been involved in SaaS development life cycle. The collected
data was then analyzed using factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling
(SEM).
The model was modified based on the results of factor analysis. The test for
reliability and validity revealed that the model is acceptable. The findings of
the structural model assessment show that all customization approaches significantly
influence the quality of SaaS application except integration. Furthermore,
it revealed that the impact of configuration and composition approaches on SaaS
quality is positive, while the impact of other approaches is negative. The results
of model validation showed experts positive feedback on the usefulness of the
model. As a conclusion, this research provides a wider view of the impact of
software customization on SaaS quality from different aspects (e.g., customization
types, quality attributes, and potential impacts). This is a useful guidelines
and references for both SaaS researchers and SaaS practitioners. |
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