Relationship-based software attributes prioritization model for digital library sustainable development targets

Abstract

Software attributes (SAs) represent the capability and usefulness of the software application in attaining sustainable development progress. To ensure a long-term positive impact on the aimed sustainable development targets (SDTs), an understanding of SAs relationship is required. The complexities of the study in this area significantly increased particularly with a huge gap in recognizing regulatory model and standards found from the literature. The previous research focusing on developing and designing new software technologies faced significant innovation and development effort gaps. Issues such as the rising cost, less strategy in purchasing as well as misallocation of the computing budget potentially lead towards lack of adopting new software technologies. Due to this phenomenon, sixty-five per cent of the countries participated in the UN2030 agenda are considered to lag in attaining their SDTs by the year 2030. This qualitative study, thus, proposed a relationship-based prioritization model in attaining the aimed SDTs for digital libraries. The focus was on deriving the SAs prioritization levels in the currently implemented software application focusing on the relationship of influences. In doing so, thirteen key attributes were generated via interviews with industry experts in this area. The pair-wise comparison and benefit-cost assessment tools were employed for data collection via structured interviews with nineteen digital libraries’ stakeholders at Malaysian higher learning institutions. The finding demonstrated similarities in prioritization levels for reliability, portability, and usability of digital library software (DLS). The reliability of DLS became the priority, followed by its portability as the fourth priority and its usability was the last priority. Meanwhile, the maintainability, functionality, and efficiency of DLS were identified in different priority levels. It also demonstrated that any changes or modification on the reliability of the DLS will influence the changes to SAs at a priority level lower than it was. Furthermore, the extent to which DLS portability will or will not influence other SAs was at priority fifth. Meanwhile, the usability of DLS did not influence any other SAs in attaining the aimed SDTs. The empirical findings of this study can be used as a guide to digital libraries towards better recognition of their current capabilities of DLS in attaining their aimed SDTs. The validated relationship-based prioritization model constructed could be used as a reference to provide direction for future research, particularly, in identifying good practices and lessons learned in this area.