Engineering software engineering teams

Abstract

This paper presents novel ideas for understanding how software engineering teams communicate and coordinate. We utilize these ideas to understand how these teams should be constructed and what individuals and managers can do to ensure that teams perform at high levels. Our view is based on numerous observations and interactions with enterprise software engineering teams and influenced by economic models of information sharing. We propose that neither a fully top-down nor bottom-up approach is entirely suitable for teams; rather teams must be cognizant of this issue and work to embrace both models of information flow. This, in turn, can be facilitated by the role of intercessor who seeks to properly guide, direct, and curate both top-down and bottom-up information flows. © 2011 ACM.