Are Architecture Design Decisions in Distributed Teams Supported by Tools?

Background. Global Software Engineering (GSE) represents a recognized practice that facilitates the collaborative development of software artifacts across geographically distributed teams. In this context, the successful design and maintenance of software requires continuous collaboration to manage critical architectural decisions effectively. Consequently, various tools for Architecture Design Decision (ADD) have been developed to support design thinking and the decision-making process. However, recent research studies have drawn attention to challenges in managing ADDs within distributed environments. Aim. Our study aims to determine assessment metrics to evaluate if the existing ADD tools support Distributed Collaborative Design (DCD) in the GSE setting. Method. We used a Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) method and conducted expert surveys to define and validate the assessment metrics. Result. We present six assessment metrics for evaluating the support of ADD tools in facilitating distributed collaborative design (DCD). Conclusion. The assessment metrics provide a tool analysis to extract insights into current practice within an ADD process in distributed development environments.