Use of co-creation to facilitate collaboration in fully remote software teams

What is it about?

One approach remote software teams use to facilitate collaboration is to co-create artifacts. They work together using supporting collaborative tools to produce an artifact (a digital document) that communicates shared meaning and intent to drive their work forward. Through an interview study, we identify four models of co-creation that vary by synchronicity (asynchronous vs. synchronous) and number of authors (1 vs. many). We provide examples of how these models are chained together to complete tasks. Deciding which model to use depends on several(e.g., individual experience levels and task complexity), which we describe. Moreover, we describe a toolset that can support all four models effectively.

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Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash

Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Fully distributed software teams, where all team members work in different locations, remain a common operating model for many organizations. One downside of remote teams is that collaboration can be more complex when working at a distance. Collaboration in the form of co-creating artifacts (documents) is one way in which team members can derive a shared understanding, be inclusive of all perspectives, and ultimately agree on the way forward for a piece of work. In describing the four models, the ways these are chained together, and factors to consider when choosing one model over another, we hope to provide guidance to help fully remote software teams make the most of co-creation.

Perspectives