An experimental simulation of multi-site software development

  • Authors:

  • N. Sadat Shami;Nathan Bos;Zach Wright;Susannah Hoch;Kam Yung Kuan;Judy Olson;Gary Olson

  • Affiliations:

  • Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI;Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW), Schools of Information and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Suite E2420, Ann Arbor, MI

  • Venue:
  • CASCON '04 Proceedings of the 2004 conference of the Centre for Advanced Studies on Collaborative research
  • Year:
  • 2004

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Effective communication and coordination across multiple sites is extremely important for global software development. An experimental simulation that mimics an interdependent software division working across multiple locations was designed to study this phenomenon. Six experiments were run, each with participants divided into four or five sites depending on the availability of participants. We found that simulated workers at the same sites formed strong in-groups and were able to enlist help from their collocated colleagues at a much higher rate than from remote colleagues. These strong local in-groups inhibited cross-site collaboration. Remote workers had particular difficulty coordinating work with in-group members. However, certain isolated participants did perform well by being proactive in communication and reminding collaborators of reciprocal relationships. Future uses of this simulation will test different interventions such as instant messaging, calendaring, and traveling, which may help overcome the challenges of global software development and inform the design of future collaboration technologies.