Dimensions of Consistency in GSD: Social Factors, Structures and Interactions

Global software development (GSD) implies a distributed development organization, where coordination is needed to efficiently achieve development objectives. So far, socio-technical congruence has examined coordination needs and activities through software code dependencies. However, GSD requires coordination beyond software artifacts. In this paper, we present an interview-based study of software practitioners from companies engaged in GSD. The study examines how different dimensions of interactions are interrelated, and how they affect software development. Our study suggests that, in addition to the relationship between organizational and technical system structure, GSD performance is affected by consistency in communication, operational procedures, and social structures. These can only partially be impacted through formal procedures, and we suggest that distributing coordination work by empowering developers could lead to increased performance.

[1]  Paul T. Robinson.  Communication Network in an Agile Distributed Software Development Team , 2019, 2019 ACM/IEEE 14th International Conference on Global Software Engineering (ICGSE).

[2]  Stefano Mariani,et al.  Coordination in Socio-technical Systems: Where are we now? Where do we go next? , 2019, Sci. Comput. Program..

[3]  Kelly Blincoe,et al.  Managing Requirements Change the Informal Way: When Saying ‘No’ is Not an Option , 2016, 2016 IEEE 24th International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE).

[4]  Muneera Bano,et al.  Empirical study of communication structures and barriers in geographically distributed teams , 2016, IET Softw..

[5]  M. E. Conway.  HOW DO COMMITTEES INVENT , 1967 .

[6]  Outi Sievi-Korte,et al.  Challenges and recommended practices for software architecting in global software development , 2019, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[7]  Audris Mockus,et al.  An Empirical Study of Speed and Communication in Globally Distributed Software Development , 2003, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[8]  Mario Piattini,et al.  A systematic mapping study about socio-technical congruence , 2018, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[9]  Leslie P. Willcocks,et al.  Global software development: Exploring socialization and face-to-face meetings in distributed strategic projects , 2007, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[10]  Bernhard Rumpe,et al.  Does Distance Still Matter? Revisiting Collaborative Distributed Software Design , 2018, IEEE Software.

[11]  Thomas Fritz,et al.  Software developers' perceptions of productivity , 2014, SIGSOFT FSE.

[12]  Laurie L. Levesque,et al.  Cognitive divergence and shared mental models in software development project teams , 2001 .

[13]  Johanna Rothman,et al.  Lessons Learned from Leading Workshops about Geographically Distributed Agile Teams , 2013, IEEE Software.

[14]  Outi Sievi-Korte,et al.  Software architecture design in global software development: An empirical study , 2019, J. Syst. Softw..

[15]  D. C. Feldman,et al.  The Development and Enforcement of Group Norms , 1984 .

[16]  Matthew Bass,et al.  Monitoring GSD projects via shared mental models: a suggested approach , 2006, GSD '06.

[17]  Ita Richardson,et al.  Implementation of Global Software Development: a structured approach , 2009, Softw. Process. Improv. Pract..

[18]  Edmundo Roberto Mauro Madeira,et al.  Virtual network security: threats, countermeasures, and challenges , 2015, Journal of Internet Services and Applications.

[19]  J. Maxwell.  Understanding and Validity in Qualitative Research , 1992 .

[20]  Viktoria Stray,et al.  Slack Me If You Can! Using Enterprise Social Networking Tools in Virtual Agile Teams , 2019, 2019 ACM/IEEE 14th International Conference on Global Software Engineering (ICGSE).

[21]  S. Mohammed,et al.  Metaphor No More: A 15-Year Review of the Team Mental Model Construct , 2010 .

[22]  Yvonne Dittrich,et al.  A conceptual framework to study the role of communication through social software for coordination in globally-distributed software teams , 2015, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[23]  V. Braun,et al.  Using thematic analysis in psychology , 2006 .

[24]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  Media, Tasks, and Communication Processes: A Theory of Media Synchronicity , 2008, MIS Q..

[25]  James D. Herbsleb,et al.  Socio-technical congruence: a framework for assessing the impact of technical and work dependencies on software development productivity , 2008, ESEM '08.

[26]  Casper Lassenius,et al.  Fear and distrust in global software engineering projects , 2012, J. Softw. Maintenance Res. Pract..

[27]  Haiyan Huang,et al.  Global IT Outsourcing: Software Development across Borders , 2004 .

[28]  Erran Carmel,et al.  Tactical Approaches for Alleviating Distance in Global Software Development , 2001, IEEE Softw..

[29]  Philippe Kruchten,et al.  Social debt in software engineering: insights from industry , 2015, Journal of Internet Services and Applications.

[30]  Anne-Marie Søderberg,et al.  Translocality in Global Software Development: the Dark Side of Global Agile , 2019, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[31]  Protocol for an Empirical Study on Software Architecture Design in Global Software Development , 2019 .

[32]  Pär J. Ågerfalk,et al.  Benefits of Global Software Development: The Known and Unknown , 2008, ICSP.