Global Software Development and the Problem of Increased Uncertainties: Information Processing Requirements for Coordination

In global software development (GSD) work configurations, distance, task, and interaction technologies are sources of uncertainties that combine to challenge traditional information processing requirements for coordination. However, in previous research, GSD coordination is explained in terms other than uncertainties. Thus, how the problem of increased uncertainties in coordination can be understood remains a puzzle. This paper studies how a team of developers in the USA and Ireland managed the diverse and emergent uncertainties it faced. The main information processing requirements for coordination whose relationships are modeled are (1) structuring task components according to location; (2) selecting people according to their task-resolving qualities; (3) exploiting their distance-bridging qualities; and (4) supporting them with diverse interaction technologies. By this modeling, the paper extends information processing requirements for GSD coordination beyond mere support for interactions and structuring of task components that are prevalent in the literature.