Towards sustainable software systems: A software sustainability analysis framework

Context: In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape designing sustainable software systems requires considering the software impacts and its long-term viability. For professionals, a significant barrier lies in the need for practical guidelines and tangible frameworks for effectively incorporating sustainability considerations during software design and development. Objective: The study aims to help software practitioners consider sustainability during software design and development by providing systematic guidelines. We proposed a framework that enables professionals to do so by allowing them to foresee how and how much impact the software has on sustainability and its dimensions. Methods: The study presented a software sustainability analysis framework that helps to derive sustainability goals and extract sustainability improvement features for software systems based on their impacts on sustainability dimensions. The framework's application is exemplified through two Software applications, and sustainability guidelines have been provided. Results: Industry professionals with diverse roles were engaged to validate the framework's relevance and practicality. Their feedback was collected through discussion, and direct excerpts were reported. Validation results revealed that the framework effectively addresses the key challenges professionals face in integrating sustainability into their practices. Conclusion: Professionals acknowledged the importance of considering sustainability aspects in software design and development and appreciated the structured approach provided by the framework.