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oss2018/content/04-results.tex
... ... @@ -33,18 +33,18 @@ after the project beginning. Due to the platform features for software
33 33 development and social network, the UnB coordinators decided to use the system
34 34 under construction to develop the system itself. Gradually, in addition to
35 35 development activities, government and academia migrated the project management
36   -and communication between teams to the portal environment. In short, the wiki
  36 +and the communication between teams to the portal environment. In short, the wiki
37 37 feature was used for logging meetings, defining goals, planning sprints,
38 38 documenting deployment procedures and user guides. The issue tracker was used
39 39 for discussing requirements, monitoring features under development, requesting
40 40 and recording changes, and validating the delivered funcionalities. Finally, the
41   -mailing list was used by the entire team for collaboratively constructing
  41 +mailing list was used by the entire team for collaborative construction of
42 42 requirements, defining schedules, and scheduling meetings between institutions.
43 43  
44 44 Our surveys report Mailing list (100\%) and Issue Tracker (62.5\%) as the main
45 45 means of interaction between senior developers and interns. Developers
46 46 and MPOG staff also interacted mostly via Mailing List (87.5\%) and Issue
47   -tracker (50\%). According to answers, this movement made the
  47 +tracker (50\%). According to one of the interviewees, this movement made the
48 48 \textbf{communication more transparent and efficient}. An MPOG analyst said
49 49 that \textit{``Communicating well goes far beyond the speed. It means enabling
50 50 someone to tell everyone about everything that is happening in the project. We
... ... @@ -53,135 +53,142 @@ us a lot because everything was public and did not pollute our email box. So,
53 53 when you wanted to know something, you could access the SPB list to see
54 54 everything that was happening''}.
55 55  
56   -Migration to the SPB platform also \textbf{easied coordinator monitoring
  56 +Migrating to the SPB platform also \textbf{easied coordinator monitoring
57 57 activities and increased interactions between developers and public servants}.
58 58 The data collected from the repository evidence the frequent use of the platform
59 59 by the academic team and the government team. In the last 15 months of the
60   -project, the main project issues were opened by 59 different authors, 8 of them
  60 +project, the main repository issues were opened by 59 different authors, 8 of them
61 61 MPOG agents. These issues received comments from 64 distinct users, 9 of them
62 62 from MPOG. When we consider the issues with much interaction, those who had ten
63   -comments or more, we realized that the government team also felt more
64   -comfortable using the tool to interact directly with the development team. In a
  63 +comments or more, we notice that the government team also felt comfortable
  64 +with using the tool to interact directly with the development team. In a
65 65 set of 102 issues with much interaction, MPOG staff created 43 of them (this
66   -represents 42\% of the most active issues). An MPOG analyst highlighted that \textit{``there was
67   -a lot of evolution, a lot of communication via Gitlab''}. This interaction
68   -also led MPOG staff to \textbf{trust in developed code}: \textit{``Everything was
69   -validated, we tested the features and we developed the project inside the
70   -platform so that the feature was validated in the development of the software
71   -itself. From the moment we installed it and began to use it for development,
72   -this validation was constant. We felt confident in the features''}.
73   -
74   -%Morri aqui (Melissa)
75   -
76   -One of the main concerns of traditional approaches is meticulous documentation of
77   -the software designed and the development steps. With this aforementioned
78   -decision, we could meet this government demand without bureaucracies and
79   -changes in our development process, \textbf{producting organically
80   -documentation and records} in the platform itself, as one of the MPOG response
81   -evidenced: \textit{``For me, it was a lot of learning. There is a lot of things
82   -documented in the e-mails and also in the portal itself. At any moment we can
83   -go there and see how it worked, how someone did something. We can recover those
84   -good points''}.
  66 +represents 42\% of the most active issues). For the MPOG analysts, interaction
  67 +via repository improved communication. \textit{``There was a lot of evolution, a
  68 +lot of communication via Gitlab''}. Migrating to the platform also led MPOG
  69 +staff to \textbf{trust in developed code}: \textit{``Everything was validated.
  70 +We tested the functionalities and developed the project on the platform itself.
  71 +Consequently, all features were checked according to the use of the system.
  72 +From the moment we began to use it for development, this validation was constant.
  73 +We felt confident in the code developed.'}.
  74 +
  75 +The abovementioned decision also collaborated to meet the government's demand
  76 +for meticulous documentation of the software design and stages of development
  77 +without bureaucratizing or modifying the development process. The team starts to
  78 +\textbf{produce documentation and records organically} on the platform itself, as
  79 +mentioned at one of the MPOG response.: \textit{``For me, it was a great learning
  80 +experience. There are a lot of things documented in emails as well as in the
  81 +portal itself. When necessary, we can access the tools and find out how we
  82 +develop a solution. We can recover these positive points.''}.
  83 +
85 84  
86 85 \subsection{Bring together government staff and development team}
87 86  
88   -The MPOG analysts observed communication noise in the dialogue between them and
89   -their superiors and in dialogues with the development team,
90   -intermediated by the superiors. They said that direct dialogue with the
91   -development team and biweekly visits to the university's lab \textbf{reduce
92   -communication misunderstood}: \textit{``At this point, the communication
93   -started to change.. started to improve''}. According to another interviewee,
94   -this new dynamic unified the two sides: \textit{``I believe it was very
95   -positive, we also liked to go there, to interact with the team. I think it
96   -brought more unity, more integration into the project''}. The participation of
97   -the MPOG staff was also considered positive by {72.9\%} of the undergraduates
98   -and to {81.1\%} of them think the presence of MPOG staff in sprint ceremonies
99   -was important for the development. In addition, to \textbf{better meet
100   -expectations of both sides} regarding the requirements developed, {75.6\%} of
101   -students believe that writing the requirements together with the MPOG staff was
102   -very important. According to one of them \textit{``Joint planning and timely
103   -meetings were very important for understanding the needs of MPOG''}.
104   -
105   -An imported consequence of this direct government-academia interaction in the
106   -laboratory was empathy, as reported by one of the interviewees \textit{``You
107   -know people in person and it makes such a big difference because it causes
108   -empathy. You already know who that person is, it's not just a name''}. This
109   -subjectively helped to \textbf{align both activities execution pace},
110   -\textit{``When we went there, we knew the people and we realized that, on our
111   -side, we also felt more encouraged to validate faster and give faster feedback
112   -to the teams [..] We gave this feedback fast and they also gave quick feedback
113   -for any our questions''}. The teams' synchronization was reinforced with the
114   -implementation of a Continuous Delivery pipeline. The benefits of this approach
115   -were presented in our previous work \cite{siqueira2018cd} and corroborate these
116   -research results. To 81.1\% of students and 75\% of senior developers,
117   -deploying new versions of the SPB portal in production was a motivator during
118   -the project.
119   -
120   -One of the MPOG analyst interviewed also noted these releases also helped to
121   -\textbf{overcome the government bias regarding the low productivity of
122   -collaborative projects with academia}: \textit{``At first, the government staff
123   -had a bias that universities do not deliver. We overcame that bias in the
124   -course of the project. We deliver a lot and with quality. Today, I think if we
125   -had paid the same amount for a company, it would not have done what was
126   -delivered and with the quality that was delivered with the price that was
127   -paid''}. Additionally, the deployment in production of each new version also
128   -\textbf{improve the translation of the process from one side to the other}, as
129   -mentioned by MPOG analyst \textit{``We had an overview at the strategic level.
130   -When we went down to the technical level, plan the release every four months
131   -was difficult. But in the end, I think this has not been a problem. A project
132   -you are delivering, the results are going to production, the code is quality,
133   -the team is qualified/capable and the project is doing well, it does not impact
134   -as much in practice''}.
135   -
136   -\subsection{Split development team into priority work fronts with IT professionals}
137   -
138   -Four teams were formed to dedicated to the main development demands of the
139   -portal: UX, DevOps, System-of-Systems, and Social Networking. External
140   -developers with vast experience in the SPB platform software components and
141   -professionals with experience in front-end and UX were hired. These
142   -professionals also contributed to disseminate practices adopted in the industry
143   -and in the free software communities to other project members. {87.5\%} of
144   -seniors agreed with our project development process. For 62.5\% this process
145   -has a good similarity to their previous experiences. Their experience
146   -\textbf{helped to reconcile development processes and decision making}, as
147   -stated by one of the respondent developers \textit{``I think my main
148   -contribution was to have balanced the relations between the MPOG staff and the
149   -UnB team''}. {62.5\%} of senior developers believe they have collaborated in
150   -the relationship between the management and development processes of the two
151   -institutions and {62.5\%} asserted that helped MPOG staff to more clearly
152   -express their requests. {62.5\%} of them did not understand MPOG's project
153   -management process and {50\%} believe their project productivity was affected
154   -by MPOG's project management process. For the government, these professionals
155   -gave credibility to the development \textit{``You had the reviewers, who were
156   -the original developers of the software, that gave you confidence and
157   -confidence in the code''}.
158   -
159   -In addition, with these professionals was possible to \textbf{transferred
160   -knowledge of industry and free software to government and academia}. Working
161   -with senior developers was important for all interns during the project. {91\%}
162   -of them also believe that working with professionals was important for
163   -learning. {75\%} of senior developers believe that 'Working in pairs with a
164   -senior' and 62.5\% that 'Participate in joint review tasks' were the tasks with
  87 +At the beginning of the project, the interviewed MPOG analysts did not
  88 +participate in any direct interaction with any UnB representative, even though
  89 +they were the ones in charge of the government in ensuring the collaboration
  90 +agreement and the delivery of the products. Because of this, they relied on
  91 +feedback from their superiors on inter-institutional meetings. They reported
  92 +that there was significant communication noise in the internal dialogues with
  93 +their superiors, as well as between their superiors and the development team.
  94 +
  95 +In the second phase of the project, these analysts came to represent the
  96 +government directly in the dialogues with the academia, and they started to
  97 +visit bi-weekly the university's laboratory. One of the analysts believes that
  98 +\textit{``at this point, the communication started to change.''} The new dynamic
  99 +reduced communication misunderstandings and unified the two sides, as reported
  100 +by another interviewee: \textit{``It was very positive. We liked to go there and
  101 +to interact with the team. I think it brought more unity, more integration into
  102 +the project''}. {73\%} of the interns consider positive the direct
  103 +participation of the MPOG staff, and {81\%} of them think the presence of
  104 +goverment staff in sprint ceremonies was relevant for the project development.
  105 +For 76\% of interns, writing the requirements together with the MPOG staff was
  106 +very important to \textbf{better meet expectations of both sides}. According to
  107 +one of them \textit{``Joint planning and timely meetings were very important for
  108 +understanding the needs of MPOG''}.
  109 +
  110 +The closest dialogue between government and academia generated empathy, as
  111 +reported by one of the interviewees: \textit{``Knowing people in person makes a
  112 +big difference in the relationship because it causes empathy. You know who is
  113 +that person, it's not simply a name.''}. This subjectively helped to
  114 +\textbf{synchronize the execution pace of activities}, \textit{``When we visited
  115 +the lab and met the team, we realized that this encouraged us to validate
  116 +resources faster and give faster feedback to the team. In return, they also
  117 +quickly answered us any question''}.
  118 +
  119 +The teams' synchronization was reinforced with the implementation of a
  120 +Continuous Delivery pipeline. The benefits of this approach were presented in
  121 +our previous work \cite{siqueira2018cd} and corroborate these research results.
  122 +For 81\% of interns and 75\% of senior developers, deploying new versions of the
  123 +SPB portal in production was a motivator during the project. On the government
  124 +side, this approach helped to \textbf{overcome the government bias regarding the
  125 +low productivity of collaborative projects with academia}, as mentioned by
  126 +themselves \textit{``Government staff has a bias that universities do not
  127 +deliver products. However, in this project, we made many deliveries with high
  128 +quality. Nowadays I think if we had paid the same amount for a company, it would
  129 +not have done what we did with the quality we delivered.''}. Additionally, the
  130 +deployment in production of each new version also \textbf{improve the
  131 +translation of the process from one side to the other}, as mentioned by MPOG
  132 +analyst \textit{``We had a strategic level view. When we went to the technical
  133 +level, we had difficulty to plan each four-month release. However, in the final
  134 +stages of the project I realized that this was not a problem because the
  135 +deliveries were made and the results were available in production. The team was
  136 +qualified, the code had quality and the project was well executed. So in
  137 +practice, our difficulty interpreting the technical details did not impact the
  138 +releases planning.''}.
  139 +
  140 +\subsection{Split development team into priority work fronts with IT
  141 +professionals}
  142 +
  143 +The development team was divided into four work areas defined by the main
  144 +demands of the project: user eXperience, devOps, integration of systems, and
  145 +social networking. For each of them, at least one professional in the IT market
  146 +was hired to raise the quality of the product. These senior developers were
  147 +selected due to their experience in the open source systems and tools used in
  148 +the project or in visual works for large scale organizations.
  149 +
  150 +The participation of senior developers in the project contributed to
  151 +\textit{conciliate the development processes of institutions and make better
  152 +technical decisions}, as quoted in one of the answers to the senior developers
  153 +questionnaire: \textit{``I think my main contribution was to balance the
  154 +relations between the MPOG staff and the UnB team''}. {63\%} of senior
  155 +developers believe they have collaborated to conciliate the management and
  156 +development process between the two institutions and also {63\%} of them that
  157 +they helped MPOG staff to express their requests more clearly. Government
  158 +analysts were also more open to suggestions from these developers
  159 +\textit{``They are developers of the upstream projects of the systems that
  160 +integrate the platform. They conveyed trust, and then we trust in the developed
  161 +code''}. According to questionnaire responses, they largely agreed with the
  162 +project development process. For 63\%, this process has close similarity to
  163 +their previous experiences. In contrast, {62.5\%} of them did not understand
  164 +MPOG's project management process and {50\%} believe their project productivity
  165 +was affected by MPOG's project management process.
  166 +
  167 +Senior developers were also responsible for improving the management and technical
  168 +knowledge of the interns about practices from industry and open source projects.
  169 +{91\%} of the interns believe that working with professionals was important for
  170 +learning. Working with senior developers was important during the project for all
  171 +of them. {75\%} of senior developers believe that 'Working in pairs with a
  172 +senior' and 63\% that 'Participate in joint review tasks' were the tasks with
165 173 the involvement of them that most contributed to the evolution of students in
166   -the project. And, in guiding a students, {75\%} believe that this knowledge was
  174 +the project. {75\%} believe that the knowledge taught by them to a intern was
167 175 widespread among the others in the team. This acquisition of knowledge was also
168   -noted by the government, which stated \textit{``On the side of UnB, what we
169   -perceived was that the project was very big leap when the original software
170   -developers were hired in the case of Noosfero and Colab, because they had a
171   -guide on how to develop things in the best way and were able to solve
172   -non-trivial problems and quickly''}.
173   -
174   -The fronts also gained more autonomy to manage their activities. The role of
175   -``meta-coach'' was defined among the students, to coordinate the interactions
176   -between teams and coach to coordinate each front. Coaches have become a
177   -\textbf{point of reference for the development process}. {89.1\%} of students
178   -said that the presence of the coach was essential to the running of sprint, and
179   -for {87.5\%} of senior developers coaches was essential for their interaction
180   -with the team. MPOG analysts saw coaches as facilitators for their activities
181   -and for communication with the development team. One of the interviewees said
182   -\textit{``I interacted more with the project coordinator and team coaches''},
183   -\textit{``The reason for this was that the coaches were more likely to meet the
184   -requirements, to ask questions about requirements, to understand some features.
185   -interaction with leaders than with senior developers. Sometimes the coaches
186   -brought the question to the senior developers''}.
187   -
  176 +pointed by the government: \textit{``On the side of Unb, what we noticed was a
  177 +significant improvement in the platform with the hiring of the original
  178 +developers of the systems. They had a guide on how to best develop each feature
  179 +and were able to solve non-trivial problems quickly.''}.
  180 +
  181 +Dividing the development team and hiring senior developers allowed each team
  182 +to \textbf{self-organize and gain more autonomy in the management of their tasks}.
  183 +Each team was coordinated by a coach who together was supported by a meta-coach
  184 +in the execution of their activities. The coaches were points of reference
  185 +in the development process. {89\%} of the interns said that the presence of
  186 +the coach was essential to the sprint's running, and for {88\%} of senior
  187 +developers coaches was essential for their interaction with the team. MPOG
  188 +analysts saw coaches as facilitators for their activities and for communication
  189 +with the development team. They said \textit{``I interacted
  190 +more with the project coordinator and team coaches''}, \textit{``Usually, we
  191 +contact a coach to clarify some requirements or to understand some feature. We
  192 +interact more with coaches because they are more accessible than senior
  193 +developers. Sometimes the coach would take our question to the senior
  194 +developer''}.
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