Supporting the social processes of software development

This paper addresses one instance of software developers attending to their own work-related needs. Behind this paper lies our belief that one key to improving software development is to make it easier for the developers to work together. This perspective is shared by many (e.g. Boehm, 1981, 1987; DeMarco and Lister, 1988; DeMarco, 1995) and our purpose in this paper is to describe one site’s approach to developing a facility that allows team members to work together. Specifically, we report on the use of a computer-supported meeting facility that we call the “team room”. In presenting the team room and its use we address four questions: