Abstract
The concept of transferring or handing over a software system or project from one party to another is known as the software handover process. The process requires two parties to be involved, known as the predecessor and the successor. The process takes place for a specific period known as the handover duration. It is very critical to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and can occur at any phase of the SDLC. It is therefore very critical to ensure that the process is performed correctly and seamlessly as the opposite can have adverse effects on the outcome of the process and ultimately the entire software project.
This study aimed at investigating and understanding the challenges that hinder a software handover process and the best practices that can be followed to successfully carry out the handover process in software engineering projects.
The study used a qualitative research approach to gather data from participants who met the selection criteria using one-on-one interviews. The selection criteria included participants from the researcher’s professional network who have been involved in the handover process in software engineering projects. An invitation was sent to 17 potential participants with 11 of them being interviewed via an online platform. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The study used thematic analysis with elements of content analysis for data analysis.
The study revealed that software engineering teams do experience challenges during the handover process as all the participants indicated that they did experience challenges. Some of the challenges shared by the participants include insufficient and outdated documentation, short handover period, knowledge transfer issues. The participants were also able to share what they consider to be practices that can be followed to mitigate those challenges which include using a handover checklist and/or guideline during the handover process, following a standard software development guideline and avoiding key person dependency in software projects.