Interrupts: Just a Minute Never Is

development is a highly abstract process that requires intense concentration. The authors show that interrupting this process can significantly reduce a developer’s efficiency and can even contribute to project delays. oftware development consists of more than writing programming code. Developers also participate in discussions, meetings, phone calls, and activities undertaken to share knowledge and experience such as consulting on previously released products, explaining technical details, and reviewing documents. Surprisingly, software engineering research hardly addresses this issue, instead emphasizing software development methods and techniques. If we assume that software developers spend more than half their time communicating, we can legitimately question whether software engineering research has the right focus. Norman Fenton and Shari Pfleeger support this focus on human factors when theystatethat“Formanyyears,sociologistshavestudiedpersonnelattributes,both as individuals...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 1998
• Where: SOFTWARE
• Authors: Rini van Solingen, Egon Berghout, Frank van Latum
• Keywords: Applied Computing, Shari Pfleeger Support, SOFTWARE 1998, Software Developers, Software Development Methods