Even if a handover process is a critical stage in the software lifecycle, little is known about the problems encountered when transferring a software system from development to maintenance. In this paper, we have elicited five core handover problems as faced by five IT organizations today. These are (1) insufficient system knowledge, (2) lack of domain knowledge, (3) insufficient communication, (4) inadequate documentation, and (5) difficulties in tracking changes. / QC 20120223

Pair programming is a software development method which describes two programmers working together on the same computer, sharing one keyboard. This approach requires programmers to communicate frequently, which can lead the pair to experience certain benefits over solo programming, such as faster problem solving and a greater enjoyment of their work (Cockburn and Williams, 2001, Bryant et al., 2006). Many programmers approach their first pairing experience with scepticism, having doubts about their partner’s working habits and programming style, and about the additional communication aspects that this programming style entails (Williams et al., 2000). Despite a significant amount of research into pair programming of over 15 years, it is not evident what communication between the pair contributes to the task of pair programming. This work presents an analytic coding scheme which was derived from the observation of the communication of expert pairs working in industry. Over 35 hours of communication across 11 different pairs was analysed. This coding scheme was further refined to produce industry-inspired pair programming guidelines that assist novice pair programmers to improve their experience of pair communication. Findings indicate that introducing these guidelines to novice student pairs can have a positive impact on their perception of intra-pair communication, and on their perception of their partner’s contribution. Feedback received from expert pairs was used to add detail to the guidelines, which have been made publically available through an online resource.

This study explored the development of student’s conceptual understanding of limit and derivative when specific computational tools were utilized. Fourteen students from a secondary Advanced Placement Calculus AB course explored the limit and derivative concepts from calculus using computational tools in the Maple computer algebra system. Students worked in pairs utilizing the pair-programming collaborative model. Four groups of student pairs constructed computational tools and used them to explore the limit and derivative concepts. The remaining four student pairs were provided similar tools and asked to perform identical explorations. A multiple embedded case design was utilized to explore ways students in two classes, a programming class P and a non-programming class N, constructed understandings focusing upon their interactions with each other and with the computational tools. The Action-Process-Object-Schema (APOS) conceptual model and Constructionist framework guided design and construction of the tools, outlined developmental goals and milestones, and provided interpretive context for analysis. Results provided insights into the effective design and use of computational tools in fostering conceptual understanding. The study found the additional burden of programming redirected students’ attention away from the intended conceptual understandings. The study additionally found, however, that pre-constructed tools effectively promote conceptual understanding of the limit concept when coupled with a mature conceptual model of development. Four themes influencing development of these understandings emerged: An instructional focus on skills over concepts, the instructional sequence, the willingness and ability of students to adopt and utilize computational tools, and the ways cognitive conflict was mediated.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Context. Agile methods address the challenges of an unpredictable world by relying on “people and their creativity rather than on processes”, accelerate delivery of software and considered as a reaction to plan-based or traditional methods. Distributed software development helps to access a pool of skilled personnel, completion of tasks around the clock and more. Incorporating of agile methods in distributed software development could help to solve some problems of distributed software development such as lack of communication and its dependencies, close collaboration and so on. Objectives. In this study we investigate the proposed benefits of pair programming, an XP development technique used by agile, and its effects on performance and social practices in distributed software development. Methods. Systematic literature review and an experiment are utilized to fulfill the objectives of this study. In the systematic review a sub-set of the research articles are selected relevant to the subject of this study from the electronic sources including, ACM Digital Library, IEEE, Xplore, EiVillage (Compendx, Inspec), Science Direct and ISI Web of Science. Experiment is conducted to investigate the pair programming effects on performance and social practices. Results. Many proposed benefits of pair programming in existing literature are identified and reported in both collocated and distributed settings. Pair programming is reported as an effective software development technique as well as a pedagogical tool. Experimental results showed that pair programming also effects performance in distributed software development, and positively impacts the social practices (human or social factors). Conclusions. There are many benefits of pair programming reported in collocated settings and less in distributed software development. Pair programming impacts the performance and social practices positively. However, we also conclude that the effective use of pair programming in distributed software development will yield the concrete results as well as the programmers’ pairs should be trained, experienced and well motivated for an effective use of pair programming and to overcome the challenges of distributed software development.

No description available.

The currently mainstream mobile application development became part of several programming classes, and courses are being developed focused on mobile app development. There are fundamental differences in programming topics for mobile, including the small screen and finger-based interactions, connectivity using different communication channels, and a large number of sensors. Because of these differences, there is a need to explore different approaches to teach the concepts of mobile development. Integrated approaches and collaborative learning are key to handle the multi-platform environment of mobile development and the diversity of its devices. One practice that has been used in educational contexts for collaborative learning is Pair Programming (PP); an approach that features two developers working on the same development task. Since it became popular in the 1990s, Pair Programming (PP) has been used by developers who worked on desktop and web applications. During the past two decades, PP has been studied in both industrial and classroom settings. Several studies have shown that PP is a pedagogical tool that can help students enhance their productivity and performance. However, PP has not been studied for mobile development courses before. With the challenging nature of mobile development topics, we saw potential benefits for pair-based learning. To cover the challenges of mobile development, we developed an approach that integrates Lectures, hands-on Tutorials, and in-class Pair Programming (PP) sessions (the LTP approach). Although PP has been studied previously in classroom settings, LTP provides an adapted version that better fits the requirements of mobile application development. Integrating PP as a core element of mobile development classes aims at giving opportunities to students to collaborate, share experiences, and solve problems together. Moreover, providing multiple teaching approaches ensures that students would benefit from the variety of education methods. The LTP approach aims at helping Computer Science (CS) educators to develop curricula and manage classes for teaching mobile app development. / Ph. D. / Developing software applications (apps) for mobile devices is different than for traditional desktop and web applications. Mobile devices have small screens, short battery life, limited memory and processing power, and users interact directly with the touchscreens using their fingers with no mouse nor keyboard attached. Therefore, software developers need to be aware of such considerations, as well as communication and connectivity issues that are unique to mobile devices. Since mobile app development is becoming mainstream, many Computer Science (CS) programs are developing courses that are dedicated to teaching mobile software development. Since these courses are pretty new, educators are still exploring ways to help navigate the challenges of developing apps for mobile devices. By investigating several teaching methods, we found out that collaborative learning might be suitable and beneficial in this sort of classes. One specific practice that we wanted to explore was Pair Programming. Pair Programming (PP) is a development practice where two developers work collaboratively on the same machine to build software apps. It has been used in industry as well as in classrooms, and it has several benefits in enhancing students’ productivity and performance. Therefore, our work studies how PP can help students in emerging mobile software development classes. This research provides a teaching approach that integrates Lectures, hands-on Tutorials, and in-class PP sessions (the LTP approach), which aims at helping CS educators to develop curricula and manage classes for teaching mobile app development. Integrating PP as a core element of mobile development classes aims at giving opportunities to students to collaborate, share experiences, and solve problems together. However, the LTP approach provides an adapted version of PP that better fits the requirements of mobile application development. Moreover, providing multiple teaching approaches ensures that students would benefit from the variety of education methods.

Distributed methods of working with software development grow larger each and every day. One of these methods is distributed pair programming. The problem is that because of the large amount of different tools there is to choose from when working remotely, it may be difficult for developers to know what they should pick, in order for their work to be as effective and enjoyable as possible, when working with distributed pair programming. This thesis investigates how different tools and practices used when working with distributed pair programming has been experienced previously by people working or studying in areas related to software development. Further the goal is to also provide recommendations about what tools and practices should be used for future work with distributed pair programming. From the results of this thesis the following recommendations could be made. Discord is recommended for communication if the use of face cam is not very important, and Zoom is recommended if it is. These tools are also recommended for screen sharing. For code sharing Git should be used, and it is also strongly recommended that the developers get comfortable with using Git as early as possible. For a shared text editor Visual studio live share or Teletype for Atom is recommended, however one should not put to much work into making the shared text editor function, since this does not necessarily have a large positive impact on the development. / Användning av distribuerade metoder under mjukvaruutveckling ökar för var dag. En av dessa metoder är distribuerad parprogrammering. Problemet är att på grund av den stora mängd olika verktyg som finns att välja bland när man arbetar på distans, så kan det vara svårt för utvecklare att veta vilka verktyg de bör välja, för att deras arbete ska vara så effektivt och en så bra upplevelse som möjligt, när de arbetar med distribuerad parprogrammering. Denna uppsats undersöker hur olika verktyg och metoder som används vid arbete med distribuerad parprogrammering upplevs av utvecklare som arbetar med eller studerar inom ett fält relaterat till mjukvaruutveckling. Målet är att ge rekommendationer om vilka verktyg och metoder som bör användas i framtiden när man arbetar med distribuerad parprogrammering. Från resultatet i denna uppsats kunde följande rekommendationer göras. Discord rekommenderas för kommunikation ifall utvecklarna inte känner starkt behov av att kunna se varann, och Zoom rekommenderas ifall utvecklarna känner att dem har ett stort behov av detta. Dessa verktyg rekommenderas även för skärmdelning. För koddelning så rekommenderas Git, och det rekommenderas även starkt att utvecklarna lär sig detta så tidigt som möjligt. För en delad textredigerare så rekommenderas Visual studio live share eller Teletype för Atom, men utvecklarna bör inte lägga för mycket tid på att försöka få detta att fungera, då detta inte nödvändigtvis har en stor positiv inverkan på arbetet.

As software systems grow in size they will also grow in complexity. If the increased complexity is not managed the system will be increasingly difficult to maintain. The effect of unmaintainable software is even more distinct when using a agile development process. By increasing the maintainability of the system these problems will be dealt with and the system can be extended with sustained efficiency. This thesis will evaluate the development process of a modern, agile company in order to find changes that will promote increased maintainability. The result is an modified process that will increase the maintainability with the smallest possible overhead for the development organisation. The result is based on earlier studies of development technologies that have proven to increase the maintainability. The implementation of these technologies are adjusted to fit the development team, and some of the technologies that are not suitable for the team are rejected.