Eliciting And Connecting Information Requirements: A Study Of Brokering Situations In Data Warehouse Development

Information management and logistics rely on underlying data warehouse (DWH) systems. The development of DWHs brings together different communities of practice. In this paper, we concentrate on the role of DWH professionals as a brokering community in DWH development projects. We argue that each time they engage in brokering activities towards neighboring communities of practice, representatives from these communities take brokering roles as well. As a result, a so-called brokering situation resides within the social structure, which builds a brokering community. To closer observe the roles of DWH professionals within these brokering situations, we conducted in-depth interviews with experienced DWH professionals. Based on the analysis, we argue that the selection of the community’s representatives with experience in neighboring communities can improve brokering situations. Objects exchanged between communities of practice during brokering situations can have either positive or negative effects, depending on their capacity and the type of complexity on the boundary.