Summary Contemporary Human Challenges in Software Engineering Teams arxiv.org
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A survey found that software engineering teams with 2-3 nationalities encounter fewer challenges, with lack of analysis and leadership being the most significant, highlighting the importance of considering national diversity and virtualization in teams.
Slides
Slide Presentation (12 slides)
Key Points
- The study focuses on the human challenges faced by software engineering teams.
- The survey included challenges categorized as "interpersonal" or "intrapersonal."
- Teams with 2-3 different nationalities experienced fewer challenges compared to teams with only one nationality or more than three.
- The most impactful team challenge identified was "Insufficient analysis at the beginning of a task."
- The study highlights the importance of considering national diversity and the impact of virtualization on human challenges.
- The lack of analysis at the beginning of a task is the most critical challenge in software engineering teams.
- Teams with 2-4 nationalities have fewer challenges compared to teams with just one nationality or more than five.
- Higher team virtualization leads to an increase in the frequency of some challenges.
Summaries
36 word summary
A survey of 192 software engineering professionals found that teams with 2-3 nationalities face fewer challenges. Insufficient analysis and lack of leadership were the most impactful challenges. National diversity and virtualization should be considered in teams.
77 word summary
This study surveyed 192 software engineering professionals to identify and categorize the challenges faced by teams. Teams with 2-3 nationalities had fewer challenges compared to those with only one or more than three. Virtualization also affected the frequency of challenges. Insufficient analysis and lack of leadership were identified as the most impactful team challenges. Mitigation measures were reported. National diversity and virtualization should be considered in teams. Further research is needed to improve communication in virtual teams.
235 word summary
This study examines the challenges faced by software engineering teams and their causes. A survey of 192 professionals in software engineering teams was conducted to assess the frequency and criticality of challenges and gather information about team setups. The challenges were categorized as "interpersonal" or "intrapersonal" and were compiled from previous empirical work, blog posts, and pilot survey feedback. The study found that teams with 2-3 different nationalities experienced fewer and less critical challenges compared to teams with only one nationality or more than three. The degree of virtualization in teams also affected the frequency of some human challenges. The most impactful team challenge identified was "Insufficient analysis at the beginning of a task," followed by "Lack of leadership." Mitigation measures were reported for some challenges, such as dedicated meetings for reviews and retrospection, introduction of formal specification processes, and fostering leaders in-house. For client challenges, the most impactful challenge was "Lack of interest in the project by the client," while the least impactful challenge was "Misinterpretations." No significant correlations were found between human values and the occurrence of challenges. The study provides a set of human challenges in software engineering teams for further research on causes and mitigation measures. It highlights the importance of considering national diversity in teams and the impact of virtualization on human challenges. Further research is needed to gather more evidence and test countermeasures to improve communication in virtual teams.
555 word summary
This study examines the challenges faced by software engineering teams and their causes. A survey was conducted with 192 professionals in software engineering teams to assess the frequency and criticality of challenges and gather information about team setups.
The challenges were categorized as "interpersonal" or "intrapersonal" and were compiled from previous empirical work, blog posts, and pilot survey feedback. The researchers found that the number of distinct nationalities in a team impacted certain challenges. Teams with 2-3 different nationalities experienced fewer and less critical challenges compared to teams with only one nationality or more than three. The degree of virtualization in teams also affected the frequency of some human challenges.
The most impactful team challenge identified was "Insufficient analysis at the beginning of a task," followed by "Lack of leadership." Mitigation measures were reported for some challenges, such as dedicated meetings for reviews and retrospection, introduction of formal specification processes, and fostering leaders in-house.
For client challenges, the most impactful challenge was "Lack of interest in the project by the client," while the least impactful challenge was "Misinterpretations." No statistically significant correlations were found between human values and the occurrence of challenges.
The study provides a set of human challenges in software engineering teams for further research on causes and mitigation measures. It highlights the importance of considering national diversity in teams and the impact of virtualization on human challenges. Further research is needed to gather more evidence and test countermeasures to improve communication in virtual teams.
Overall, the study contributes to understanding contemporary human challenges in software engineering teams and provides insights for professionals to improve their working environments. Ongoing research and the development of a comprehensive theory about the causes and mitigation of human challenges in software engineering teams are emphasized.
The most critical challenge in software engineering teams is the lack of analysis at the beginning of a task. Other challenges identified include lack of teamwork skills, lack of leadership, insufficient collaboration, and work not being solution-oriented.
Teams with 2-3 nationalities had fewer challenges compared to teams with just one nationality. However, teams with more than five nationalities experienced more frequent and critical challenges. The sweet spot for nationality diversity in teams is 2-4 nationalities.
A higher degree of team virtualization led to an increase in the frequency of some challenges. For example, working with an offshore team was associated with an increase in the frequency of business needs being neglected. However, virtualization did not have a significant effect on the criticality of challenges.
The challenge set was refined based on feedback from respondents and categorized into interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges. The revised challenge set includes challenges such as lack of teamwork skills, lack of qualification, demotivation, and gold plating.
The study has limitations, including a sample bias towards LinkedIn users and a focus on European respondents. Further research is needed to explore the impact of factors such as agile processes and organizational culture on team challenges.
In conclusion, the study provides insights into the challenges faced by software engineering teams and the impact of factors such as nationality diversity and team virtualization. The refined challenge set can be used to assess and compare the condition of teams and develop mitigation strategies. Future research should investigate the specific implications of different nationalities and the effectiveness of communication tools in addressing these challenges.
612 word summary
The study examines the challenges faced by software engineering teams and their causes. A survey was conducted with 192 professionals in software engineering teams to assess the frequency and criticality of challenges and gather information about team setups.
The challenges were categorized as "interpersonal" or "intrapersonal" and were compiled from previous empirical work, blog posts, and pilot survey feedback. The researchers found no evidence of a link between human values and challenges. However, they did find that the number of distinct nationalities in a team impacted certain challenges. Teams with 2-3 different nationalities experienced fewer and less critical challenges compared to teams with only one nationality or more than three. The degree of virtualization in teams also affected the frequency of some human challenges.
The most impactful team challenge identified was "Insufficient analysis at the beginning of a task," followed by "Lack of leadership." Mitigation measures were reported for some challenges, such as dedicated meetings for reviews and retrospection, introduction of formal specification processes, and fostering leaders in-house.
For client challenges, the most impactful challenge was "Lack of interest in the project by the client," while the least impactful challenge was "Misinterpretations." No statistically significant correlations were found between human values and the occurrence of challenges.
The study provides a set of human challenges in software engineering teams for further research on causes and mitigation measures. It highlights the importance of considering national diversity in teams and the impact of virtualization on human challenges. Further research is needed to gather more evidence and test countermeasures to improve communication in virtual teams.
Overall, the study contributes to understanding contemporary human challenges in software engineering teams and provides insights for professionals to improve their working environments. Ongoing research and the development of a comprehensive theory about the causes and mitigation of human challenges in software engineering teams are emphasized.
The study examined the challenges faced by software engineering teams and how factors such as nationality diversity and team virtualization impact these challenges. A survey was conducted among 192 software development professionals to gather data on the frequency and criticality of various challenges.
The most critical challenge in software engineering teams is the lack of analysis at the beginning of a task. Other challenges identified include lack of teamwork skills, lack of leadership, insufficient collaboration, and work not being solution-oriented.
Teams with 2-3 nationalities had fewer challenges compared to teams with just one nationality. However, teams with more than five nationalities experienced more frequent and critical challenges. The sweet spot for nationality diversity in teams is 2-4 nationalities.
A higher degree of team virtualization led to an increase in the frequency of some challenges. For example, working with an offshore team was associated with an increase in the frequency of business needs being neglected. However, virtualization did not have a significant effect on the criticality of challenges.
The challenge set was refined based on feedback from respondents and categorized into interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges. The revised challenge set includes challenges such as lack of teamwork skills, lack of qualification, demotivation, and gold plating.
The study has limitations, including a sample bias towards LinkedIn users and a focus on European respondents. Further research is needed to explore the impact of factors such as agile processes and organizational culture on team challenges.
In conclusion, the study provides insights into the challenges faced by software engineering teams and the impact of factors such as nationality diversity and team virtualization. The refined challenge set can be used to assess and compare the condition of teams and develop mitigation strategies. Future research should investigate the specific implications of different nationalities and the effectiveness of communication tools in addressing these challenges.
767 word summary
The study focuses on the human side of software engineering teams and the challenges they face. The researchers aim to provide a starting point for understanding contemporary human challenges in teams and their causes. They conducted a survey with 192 professionals working in software engineering teams to assess the frequency and criticality of various challenges and gather information about team setups.
The survey included a set of challenges compiled from previous empirical work, blog posts, and pilot survey feedback. The challenges were categorized as "interpersonal" or "intrapersonal." The researchers found no evidence for a link between human values and challenges. However, they did find that the number of distinct nationalities in a team had an impact on certain challenges. Teams with 2-3 different nationalities experienced less frequent and critical challenges compared to teams with only one nationality or more than three. The degree of virtualization in teams also affected the frequency of some human challenges.
The most impactful team challenge identified was "Insufficient analysis at the beginning of a task," followed by "Lack of leadership." The least impactful challenge was "People crying in discussions." Mitigation measures were reported for some challenges, such as dedicated meetings for reviews and retrospection, introduction of formal specification processes, and fostering leaders in-house.
For client challenges, the most impactful challenge was "Lack of interest in the project by the client," while the least impactful challenge was "Misinterpretations." No statistically significant correlations were found between human values and the occurrence of challenges.
The study provides a set of human challenges in software engineering teams that can be used for further research on causes and mitigation measures. It highlights the importance of considering national diversity in teams and the impact of virtualization on human challenges. The researchers suggest that further research is needed to gather more evidence and test countermeasures to improve communication in virtual teams.
Overall, the study contributes to understanding the contemporary human challenges in software engineering teams and provides insights for professionals to improve their working environments. The researchers emphasize the need for ongoing research and the development of a comprehensive theory about the causes and mitigation of human challenges in software engineering teams.
The study examined the challenges faced by software engineering teams and how factors such as nationality diversity and team virtualization impact these challenges. The researchers conducted a survey among 192 software development professionals to gather data on the frequency and criticality of various challenges. They also collected feedback from respondents to refine the challenge set and create a relevant, up-to-date catalogue of human challenges in software engineering teams.
The findings revealed that the most critical challenge in software engineering teams is the lack of analysis at the beginning of a task. This can lead to problems such as incorrect resource allocation and missing expertise. Other challenges identified include lack of teamwork skills, lack of leadership, insufficient collaboration, and work not being solution-oriented.
The study also investigated the impact of nationality diversity on team challenges. It found that teams with 2-3 nationalities had fewer challenges compared to teams with just one nationality. However, teams with more than five nationalities experienced more frequent and critical challenges. The researchers suggested that the sweet spot for nationality diversity in teams is 2-4 nationalities.
Additionally, the study examined the impact of team virtualization on challenges. It found that a higher degree of team virtualization led to an increase in the frequency of some challenges. For example, working with an offshore team was associated with an increase in the frequency of business needs being neglected. However, virtualization did not have a significant effect on the criticality of challenges.
The researchers also refined the challenge set based on feedback from respondents. They categorized the challenges into two categories: interpersonal challenges and intrapersonal challenges. The revised challenge set includes challenges such as lack of teamwork skills, lack of qualification, demotivation, and gold plating.
The study has several limitations, including a sample bias towards LinkedIn users and a focus on European respondents. The challenge set may also be subjective and may not capture all possible challenges in software engineering teams. Further research is needed to explore the impact of factors such as agile processes and organizational culture on team challenges.
In conclusion, the study provides insights into the challenges faced by software engineering teams and the impact of factors such as nationality diversity and team virtualization. The refined challenge set can be used to assess and compare the condition of teams and to develop mitigation strategies. Future research should investigate the specific implications of different nationalities and the effectiveness of communication tools in addressing these challenges.