Abstract
Geographically distributed teams face challenges in collaboration and decision-making during the software design process. To resolve these challenges, this thesis presents the Distributed COllaborative DEsign Decision (DCODED) framework as a structured approach to enhance collaborative design, addressing the question: How can we facilitate distributed collaborative design to develop the architecture design decisions of a system? After identifying collaboration challenges that reveal a research gap in existing models for managing software design in distributed environments, we developed the DCODED framework to support collaborative design within distributed teams. We validated the framework with academic researchers and designed the Miro template based on their feedback. The template was then validated with software industry practitioners, leading to further improvements. This process culminated in a web-based solution designed to enhance the usability and applicability of the DCODED framework for diverse teams and projects. This thesis demonstrates the DCODED framework’s potential to improve collaborative decision-making in distributed environments, providing valuable contributions for practitioners navigating the complexities of Global Software Engineering.