Communication in distributed software development: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:44, 27 August 2023

Latest revision as of 13:04, 7 June 2025

(2 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)

Line 29:

Research on Communication in Distributed Software Development is conducted in order to improve the understanding of the implications of different communication methods on the success of the development process and the final product.

Communication is an essential process in coordinating a software development project and sharing knowledge between the team members. Previous studies<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hendriks|first=Paul|date=1999-06-01|title=Why share knowledge? The influence of ICT on the motivation for knowledge sharing|journal=Knowledge and Process Management|language=en|volume=6|issue=2|pages=91–100|doi= 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1441(199906)6:2<91::AID-KPM54>3.0.CO;2-M|s2cid=14864213 |hdl=2066/141653|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Goodman|first1=Paul S.|last2=Darr|first2=Eric D.|date=1998|title=Computer-Aided Systems and Communities: Mechanisms for Organizational Learning in Distributed Environments|jstor=249550|journal=MIS Quarterly|volume=22|issue=4|pages=417–440|doi=10.2307/249550|url=http://repository.cmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1817&context=tepper}}</ref> claim that sharing knowledge is important to building trust and even improving the performance of the whole team, which also applies in a distributed software development process.

It can also bring challenges, as referred in the section above, that when improperly dealt with can delay a team project or even cost money to the company. A great deal of studies tries to find ways to mitigate these problems and avoid miscommunication.<ref name=":7" />

Line 67:

====Audio and video conference====

[[Conference call|Audio]] and [[Videotelephony|video conference]] are the technologies for the reception and transmission of [[Audio signal|audio]]-[[video]] signals by users at different locations, for communication between people in real-time. These typetypes of tools attemptsattempt to replicate the rich interaction present in face-to-face meetings.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|last1=Niinimaki|first1=T.|last2=Piri|first2=A.|last3=Lassenius|first3=C.|title=2009 Fourth IEEE International Conference on Global Software Engineering |chapter=Factors Affecting Audio and Text-Based Communication Media Choice in Global Software Development Projects |date=July 2009|pages=153–162|doi=10.1109/icgse.2009.23|isbn=978-0-7695-3710-8|s2cid=17514130}}</ref> Rich synchronous communication technology such as video-conferencing is appropriate for highly interactive discussions where body language and intonation can convey the degree of understanding or agreement among participants.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Dafoulas|first1=G. A.|last2=Swigger|first2=K.|last3=Brazile|first3=R.|last4=Alpaslan|first4=F. N.|last5=Cabrera|first5=V. L.|last6=Serce|first6=F. C.|title=2009 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences |chapter=Global Teams: Futuristic Models of Collaborative Work for Today's Software Development Industry |date=January 2009|pages=1–10|doi=10.1109/hicss.2009.231|isbn=978-0-7695-3450-3|s2cid=2662830}}</ref>

[[Video conference]] is also a good way to develop trust among global software developers, since it allows team members to form personal relationships.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bhat|first1=J. M.|last2=Gupta|first2=M.|last3=Murthy|first3=S. N.|date=September 2006|title=Overcoming Requirements Engineering Challenges: Lessons from Offshore Outsourcing|journal=IEEE Software|volume=23|issue=5|pages=38–44|doi=10.1109/ms.2006.137|s2cid=9894497|issn=0740-7459}}</ref>

Line 73:

Investigators found out that team members who are not confident with their English language skills prefer to use [[email]] or [[instant messaging]] over [[Conference call|audio]] and [[Videotelephony|video conferencing]], as text-based media provide more time to comprehend and compose a response.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Noll|first1=John|last2=Beecham|first2=Sarah|last3=Richardson|first3=Ita|date=September 2011|title=Global Software Development and Collaboration: Barriers and Solutions|journal=ACM Inroads|volume=1|issue=3|pages=66–78|doi=10.1145/1835428.1835445|issn=2153-2184|hdl=10344/656|s2cid=11317369|hdl-access=free}}</ref> This becomes a problem, since text-based media doesn't use neither auditory nor visual features, which can hinder the process of understanding important information and lead to misunderstandings.

[[Zoom Video Communications|Zoom]], [[GoToMeeting]] and [[Highfive (company)|Highfive]] are examples of these typetypes of tools.

====Virtual Offices====

Line 86:

====Virtual Reality====

[[Virtual reality|Virtual Reality]] has gained increased interest over the years. It has grewgrown from an industry of 129 million [[United States dollar|USD]] in 2015 to over 1 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] by the end of 2016. It is estimated that the industry will reach 4.6 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] by the end of 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thefarm51.com/ripress/VR_market_report_2015_The_Farm51.pdf|title=Report on the current state of the VR market}}</ref>

The content exchanged during the act of communication is merely the interpretations of the situations in which the actors are involved. The latter, in turn, depend on the context. The motivation for using virtual reality as a communication tool is based on the premise that one's perception of context is proportional to the sensorial information available.