In Global Software Development (GSD), the lack of face- to-face communication is a major challenge and effective computer-mediated practices are necessary. This paper analyzes cooperative practices supported by Social Software (SoSo) in a GSD student project.

1. How Social Software
Supports Cooperative
Practices in a Globally
Distributed Software Project
Rosalba Giuffrida rogi@itu.dk
Yvonne Dittrich ydi@itu.dk
IT
UNIVERSITY
OF
COPENHAGEN

2. IT
UNIVERSITY
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COPENHAGEN
Problem
Ethnographic Empirical Research
Coordination Mechanisms
Communicative Genres
Findings
Future Work
Outline

3. IT
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Problem
Fundamental problem of GSD is that
many of the mechanisms that
function to coordinate the work
in a co-located setting are absent or disrupted
in a distributed project.
J. D. Herbsleb.

4. IT
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How does Social Software
support remote cooperation
complementing
collaborative SE tools
used in everyday practices of GSD teams?
Research Question

5. Social Software (SoSo)
¨ IM, Social Networks, Wiki, Forum, Blogs
¨ Informal communication takes place in SoSo
¨ SoSo complements SE collaborative tools

6. Two remote sub-teams are located in Denmark and in China.
“Self-organizing” teams.
Scrum used rather rigorously: five Sprints, backlogs, weekly standup meetings,…
Skype, phone, emails, Assembla (issue tracker with file sharing, Wiki, Forum)
The Case
Copenhagen
Beijing

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Ethnographic Empirical Research
¨ Copenhagen (4 months)
¨ Beijing (10 days)
¨ Data Collection
¨ Data Analysis

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Coordination Mechanisms
“A coordination mechanism consists of a coordinative protocol imprinted
upon a distinct artifact which [...] stipulates and mediates the articulation of
cooperative work so as to reduce the complexity of articulation work [...]”
Communicative Genres
A communicative genre is characterized “by a socially recognized
communicative purpose and a common form”
Analytic tools
.
K. Schmidt and C. Simone. Coordination mechanisms: Towards a conceptual foundation of cscw systems design. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 1996.
J. Yates and W. J. Orlikowski. Genres of organizational communication: A structurational approach to studying communication and media. Academy of
management review, 1992.

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Coordination Mechanism 1/3
• File Sharing
• Minutes Sharing
• Issue Managing System
• Subversion (SVN)
Repository
• Standup Meeting
• Agenda

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Coordination Mechanism 2/3
We, PKU, advise that you,
ITU, tell us agenda in
advance. In that case, we,
PKU, have time to prepare
for it. And our meeting will
be better. O(∩_∩)O
[Wusheng, China]

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Coordination Mechanism 3/3
A written meeting agenda
should be uploaded at
Wednesdays in order to
accomplish effective virtual
meetings. The author of
these should be shifting
between China and
Denmark.

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Communicative Genres
• Work
• Knowledge sharing
• Metawork
• Situated Articulation
• Social talk
• Encouraging Chats

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Example: Minutes Notifier Genre

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Example: Social Talk Genre
Cheng: Denmark is a beautiful country. I will go to
Denmark to have a tour if there any chance, To got
to know this country
Stella: well please come... It is beautiful!! I have
several chinese colleagues and friends at work
(sushi restaurant)

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Temporal Overview
Usage of Group Instant Messaging Chats
Usage of 1 to 1 Instant Messaging Chats
Usage of Forum and Wiki
CM1 File Sharing
CM2 Minutes Sharing
CM 3Issue Managing System
CM 4 Subversion (SVN) Repository
CM 5 Standup Meeting
CM 6 Agenda

16. Challenges Encountered
Language barriers
Technological barriers due to low bandwidth connection
Different professional background

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• Social Talk Enable Good Cooperation
• Metawork for Establishing Effective
Coordination Mechanisms
• The Role of Social Software
Findings

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Social Talk Enable Good Cooperation
¨ Initially in IM – both group chat
and 1 to 1 chat
¨ establish informal relationships
¨ provide a context for the
cooperation
¨ cultural liaisons
¨ it lowered the potential socio-
cultural distance among team
members

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Metawork for Establishing
Effective Coordination Mechanisms
¨ Thanks to the social talks, the two remote sub-teams
established an effective informal channel, where
metawork discussions could take place.
¨ This study shows how metawork takes place and
how it evolves
¨ High level of metawork in the initial phase
¨ The team succeeded in establishing effective
coordination mechanisms and social protocols

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The Role of Social Software
¨ Central role of SoSo as an informal and flexible channel that
supports different kinds of communicative genres.
¨ SoSo complements other collaborative SE tools that provide
templates for coordination mechanisms.
¨ Wiki and Forum
¤ persistent repository for the knowledge shared
¤ they serve for situated articulation, that support established coordination
mechanisms
¨ Instant Messaging
¤ glue between other channels
¤ main media for social talk

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Future work
¨ Culture
¤ comparisons with other teams with similar background
¤ appropriate analytic tools for culture
¨ Trust
¤ social chats appear fundamental to support trusting relationships, thus
enabling good work
¤ relating the roles of social talks, metawork and trust
¨ Theoretical concepts
¤ relationship between coordination mechanisms and communicative genres
¤ theoretical framework for analyzing and describing cooperative practices

22. How Social Software
Supports Cooperative
Practices in a Globally
Distributed Software Project
Rosalba Giuffrida rogi@itu.dk
Yvonne Dittrich ydi@itu.dk
IT
UNIVERSITY
OF
COPENHAGEN
THANK YOU J
Questions…?