ANANDASIVAM GOPAL

Research Interests

My research interests broadly lie in three areas: software outsourcing, empirical contract theory and empirical software engineering.

I study various aspects of software outsourcing projects, particularly the offshore software outsourcing industry in India. My past work has looked at the importance of software process initiatives in offshore software development firms, the importance of communication processes on project performance and the relevance of contracts in determining project performance. More recent work studies the role of certification (such as CMM certification) and diversification in the Indian offshore IT services industry

Empirical contract theory addresses the choice, selection, preferences of parties and the consequences of contracts chosen for a certain market transaction. My focus is on software contracts used in managing outsourcing relationships.

Empirical software engineering is concerned with understanding issues surrounding the disciplined and systematic development of software in organizations using empirical research techniques. My interests in this area extend to software project management, software metrics programs and software process initiatives such as the Capability Maturity Model. I study the impact of these processes on project performance.