Revealing actual documentation usage in software maintenance through war stories

War stories are a form of qualitative data that capture informants' specific accounts of surmounting great challenges. The rich contextual detail afforded by this approach warrants its inclusion in the methodological arsenal of empirical software engineering research. We ground this assertion in an exemplar field study that examined the use of documentation in software maintenance environments. Specific examples are unpacked to reveal a depth of insight that would not have been possible using standard interviews. This afforded a better understanding of the complex relationship between project personnel and documentation, including individuals' roles as pointers, gatekeepers, or barriers to documentation.

[1]  A. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. , 1993 .

[2]  Mark S. Ackerman,et al.  Just talk to me: a field study of expertise location , 1998, CSCW '98.

[3]  Carolyn B. Seaman,et al.  Qualitative Methods in Empirical Studies of Software Engineering , 1999, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[4]  Grant Mccracken.  The long interview , 1988 .

[5]  Matthew B. Miles,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook , 1994 .

[6]  Janice Singer.  Practices of software maintenance , 1998, Proceedings. International Conference on Software Maintenance (Cat. No. 98CB36272).

[7]  M. Patton.  Qualitative research and evaluation methods , 1980 .

[8]  Wayne G. Lutters,et al.  Storytelling in collaborative work: the challenge of preserving sensitive interactions , 2002, SIGG.

[9]  J. V. Maanen,et al.  Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography , 1989 .

[10]  Aurora Vizcaíno,et al.  Identifying knowledge management needs in software maintenance groups: a qualitative approach , 2004, Proceedings of the Fifth Mexican International Conference in Computer Science, 2004. ENC 2004..

[11]  Janice Singer,et al.  How software engineers use documentation: the state of the practice , 2003, IEEE Software.

[12]  Austen Rainer,et al.  Re-planning for a successful project schedule , 1999, Proceedings Sixth International Software Metrics Symposium (Cat. No.PR00403).

[13]  D. Wellman,et al.  Talking About Machines: An Ethnography of a Modern Job. , 1997 .

[14]  Jeffrey C. Carver.  The Impact of Background and Experience on Software Inspections , 2004, Empirical Software Engineering.

[15]  J. Orr,et al.  Talking About Machines: An Ethnography of a Modern Job. , 1997 .

[16]  P. M. Hendryx-Bedalov,et al.  Ethnography , 1998 .

[17]  Helen Sharp,et al.  An Ethnographic Study of XP Practice , 2004, Empirical Software Engineering.

[18]  Barry Boehm,et al.  A Web Repository of Lessons Learned from COTS-Based Software Development 1 , 2002 .

[19]  Carolyn B. Seaman,et al.  The information gathering strategies of software maintainers , 2002, International Conference on Software Maintenance, 2002. Proceedings..

[20]  Mark S. Ackerman,et al.  Achieving safety: a field study of boundary objects in aircraft technical support , 2002, CSCW '02.