Towards an understanding of enabling process knowing in global software development: a case study

Shared understanding of Software Engineering (SE) processes, that we call process knowing, is required for effective communication and coordination and communication within a team in order to improve team performance. SE Process knowledge can include roles, responsibilities and flow of information over a project lifecycle. Developing and sustaining process knowledge can be more challenging in Global Software Development (GSD). GSD distances can limit the ability of a team to develop a common understanding of processes. Anecdotes of the problems caused by lack of common understanding of processes in GSD are pervasive, but there is no reported empirical effort aimed at exploring the solutions to enable process knowing in GSD. We report a case study aimed at understanding an effort to enable process knowing for improving processes in GSD. The findings provide useful insights into the potential challenges of lack of process knowing and how an organization can enable process knowing for achieving the desired results that also help in increasing social interactions and positive behavioral changes.