1 / 16

Interpersonal Conflict between Developers and Testers in Software Development

Interpersonal Conflict between Developers and Testers in Software Development. Xihui Zhang, Jasbir S. Dhaliwal, Mark L. Gillenson Department of Management Information Systems Fogelman College of Business and Economics University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152

abeth
Download Presentation

Interpersonal Conflict between Developers and Testers in Software Development

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Interpersonal Conflict between Developers and Testers in Software Development Xihui Zhang, Jasbir S. Dhaliwal, Mark L. Gillenson Department of Management Information Systems Fogelman College of Business and Economics University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152 {xihui.zhang, jdhaliwl, mark.gillenson}@memphis.edu

  2. Agenda • What? • Research questions and related concepts • Why? • Research justification • How? • Research model and research methodology WAIST 2007

  3. Compete for Time “They [project managers] let the developers code up to the 11th hour. Then they expected it to be tested. It’s very frustrating knowing that once it goes into production there is not enough time to test because they [the developers] were being allowed to develop up to the last minute. I mean literally the last minute-the night before.” Source: Cohen et al. (2004). WAIST 2007

  4. Power and Politics “The lack of status and support makes the test’s job more difficult and time consuming, as the struggle for recognition becomes part of the job itself.” Source: Cohen et al. (2004). WAIST 2007

  5. Managing Conflict in Software Testing “Conflict between software testers and developers is inevitable, but mindful managers minimize its effect on development projects through communication, mutual respect, even social interaction.” Source: Cohen et al. (2004). WAIST 2007

  6. Research Questions • What are the sources of interpersonal conflict between developers and testers in software development? • What’s the impact of this conflict on software development outcomes? WAIST 2007

  7. Layers of Conflict Source: Cohen et al. (2004). WAIST 2007

  8. Interpersonal Conflict Source: Barki and Hartwick (2004). WAIST 2007

  9. Conflict Management Styles Source: Rahim and Bonoma (1979). WAIST 2007

  10. Managing Conflict at the Source Source: Cohen et al. (2004). WAIST 2007

  11. Testers and Developers Complement One Another • On an effective team, testers and developers complement one another, each providing perspectives and skills that the other may lack • Many developers don’t realize how difficult system testing can be. It requires an eye for detail and an understanding of the big picture • Many testers are frustrated working with developers who think testing is easy Source: Pettichord (2000). WAIST 2007

  12. Good Testers vs. Good Developers Source: Pettichord (2000). WAIST 2007

  13. Appreciating Differences • Appreciating differences is critical for productive teams • Different approaches aid in finding solutions • Mutual respect dramatically improves group problem solving Source: Pettichord (2000). WAIST 2007

  14. Research Model WAIST 2007

  15. Research Methodology • In phase one, we will use a qualitative research approach to try to identify the sources of interpersonal conflict between developers and testers. • In phase two, a survey instrument will be administered to developers and testers in several large software companies. The questionnaire will measure three constructs: interpersonal conflict, conflict management styles, and software development outcomes. WAIST 2007

  16. Summary • What? • Research questions and related concepts • Why? • Research justification • How? • Research model and research methodology WAIST 2007

More Related