Some social factors of software engineering: the maverick, community and technical practices

ABSTRACT

While the importance of 'people factors' in software engineering has been recognised for over 25 years, few specific factors, and their impact on software engineering, have been identified. 'People factors' covers a wide and diverse set of issues. In this paper we focus on social factors, i.e. factors that arise from the various interactions that need to take place in order to develop software. We draw on three different studies we have conducted over the last 10 years to identify three specific factors and their impact on software development.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.7 Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors, Management

Keywords:
community, ethnography, maverick