Supporting Collaborative Tailoring

In this chapter we depict collaborative aspects of tailoring software. We provide a categorization distinguishing between three levels of intensity of user ties regarding tools usage (“shared use”, “shared context”, and “shared tool”) and discuss approaches to support collaborative tailoring in these scenarios. For the two levels with the most intense ties (“Shared Context” and “Shared Tool”) we provide the relevant theoretical background as well as empirical evidence from our own fieldwork. Additionally, we point out existing problems with collaborative tailoring support in “shared infrastructure” scenarios, which reflect the technological richness at today’s workplace. Finally, it turns out that there is a need as well as an opportunity for a broader technological support of processes of technology appropriation including better means of communicating and negotiating about aspects of the joint use of a software artefact.