Title
Theorizing about software development practices.
Abstract
The paper focuses on the challenge of generating theoretical support for software development, especially when human software developers are involved in the software development process. We outline a model, “Coat Hanger”, for theorizing about development practices. The model focuses on the intended rationale for the actual realization and resulting impacts of using particular practices in varying contexts. To illustrate the use of the model, we have studied recent practice-oriented articles in the journal Science of Computer Programming. A survey of articles in the journal between 2010 and 2013 showed that out of 371 articles, only four studied software development in professional organizations with actual software practitioners as informants. The Coat Hanger model was then used to identify the theoretical strengths and weaknesses of these four practice descriptions. The analysis is used as the basis to declare the potential of our model as a conceptual aid for more structured theorizing about software development practices. The contribution of the model is the introduction of a concretization of how theorizing can be done through reflection-in-action, instead of regarding research on software practices plainly from the prevailing viewpoint of technical rationality.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.1016/j.scico.2014.11.012
Science of Computer Programming
Keywords
Field
DocType
Software development,Practice,Theory,Theorizing,Reflection-in-action
Information system,Software peer review,Computer science,Extreme programming practices,Knowledge management,Software,Software development process,Software walkthrough,Computer programming,Management science,Software development
Journal
Volume
ISSN
Citations 
101
0167-6423
9
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.47
42
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Tero Paivarinta11087.19
Kari Smolander279689.63