[Paper Review] Clearing the Path for Software Sustainability

Jennifer Gross, Sofía Ouhbi|arXiv (Cornell University)|May 24, 2024

Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social DevelopmentBusiness, Management and Accounting3 citations

TL;DR

This paper identifies and clarifies key challenges hindering software sustainability, including definitional ambiguity, inconsistent integration timing, lack of metrics and tools, narrow perspectives, and insufficient education. It proposes a structured framework to unify understanding, embed sustainability into software development lifecycle practices, and guide actionable research and education to advance sustainable software engineering.

ABSTRACT

The advancement of software sustainability encounters notable challenges, underscoring the necessity for understanding these challenges to facilitate significant progress and pave the way for effective solutions to advance software sustainability. This paper outlines key challenges identified in literature based on findings from a tertiary study. Challenges identified include: confusion regarding the definition of software sustainability, uncertainty about when to consider sustainability in software development, lack of assessment metrics and tools, narrow perspectives on sustainability in software systems, insufficient awareness and education, and a lack of serious considerations in practice. The paper aims at clarifying the confusion surrounding software sustainability to motivate effective solutions. The provided recommendations aim to give a more organized approach towards advancing sustainable software development, emphasizing comprehensive strategies, the integration of sustainability as a fundamental aspect of software development, actionable research directions, and the cultivation of a common understanding of sustainable software.

Motivation & Objective

• Address the growing need for software sustainability in research and practice amid widespread confusion and inconsistent application.
• Clarify the current state of software sustainability by synthesizing findings from a tertiary literature study.
• Identify and categorize persistent challenges such as definitional ambiguity, lack of assessment tools, and insufficient education.
• Provide actionable recommendations to institutionalize sustainability as a core principle in software engineering.
• Foster a shared understanding and coordinated research direction to advance sustainable software development systematically.

Proposed method

• Conduct a tertiary literature study to synthesize and analyze existing research on software sustainability.
• Systematically identify recurring challenges through thematic analysis of published works.
• Categorize challenges into six key areas: definition ambiguity, timing uncertainty, lack of metrics and tools, narrow perspectives, low awareness, and practical neglect.
• Propose a structured framework to guide integration of sustainability into software development processes.
• Emphasize the need for comprehensive strategies, education, and tooling to embed sustainability as a first-class concern.
• Advocate for a shift in mindset and practice to treat sustainability as foundational, not optional, in software engineering.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What are the primary challenges impeding the advancement of software sustainability in practice and research?
• RQ2 How does definitional ambiguity affect the consistent application of sustainability principles in software development?
• RQ3 Why is there uncertainty about when to integrate sustainability considerations in the software development lifecycle?
• RQ4 What are the key gaps in assessment metrics, tools, and educational resources for sustainable software development?
• RQ5 How can sustainability be systematically embedded as a core principle in software engineering practices?

Key findings

• Definitional ambiguity remains a major barrier, with no consensus on what constitutes 'sustainable software' across research and practice.
• There is widespread uncertainty about the optimal timing for integrating sustainability into software development processes.
• A lack of standardized metrics and tools hinders the assessment and improvement of software sustainability.
• Perspectives on sustainability are often narrowly focused on environmental impact, neglecting social, economic, and technical dimensions.
• Insufficient awareness and education limit the adoption of sustainable practices in software engineering curricula and industry.
• Sustainability is frequently treated as an afterthought rather than a fundamental requirement in software development.