Understanding Collaborative Practices in Distributed Agile Development: Research Proposal

Abstract

Agile methodologies in software development are gaining prominence in global settings where distributed cross-cultural software teams collaborate on projects, addressing the needs of dynamic business environments. However, undertaking collaborative work in distributed settings can create significant challenges, especially as a number of agile principles and practices rely on physical proximity and face-to-face interactions. An interpretative qualitative approach using case studies has been adopted to gain deeper insights into how such teams work. The analysis is being informed by theoretical concepts of awareness, common ground and boundary objects. Early findings suggest that distributed team members use multifaceted techniques, such as shared software artifacts that evolve over time to negotiate and enhance common ground for better collaborative practices to emerge. It is expected that research undertaken will provide a framework to understand this process. Practically, the research will propose guidelines for global software teams planning to adopt agile methods in distributed environments.