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Governing the commons: code ownership and code-clones in large-scale software development
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering. Ericsson Mobile Financial Services AB, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9898-2222
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1350-7030
Chalmers University of Technology.
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3567-9300
2025 (English)In: Empirical Software Engineering, ISSN 1382-3256, E-ISSN 1573-7616, Vol. 30, no 2, article id 43Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Context: In software development organizations employing weak or collective ownership, different teams are allowed and expected to autonomously perform changes in various components. This creates diversity both in the knowledge of, and in the responsibility for, individual components.

Objective: Our objective is to understand how and why different teams introduce technical debt in the form of code clones as they change different components.

Method: We collected data about change size and clone introductions made by ten teams in eight components which was part of a large industrial software system. We then designed a Multi-Level Generalized Linear Model (MLGLM), to illustrate the teams’ differing behavior. Finally, we discussed the results with three development teams, plus line manager and the architect team, evaluating whether the model inferences aligned with what they expected. Responses were recorded and thematically coded.

Results: The results show that teams do behave differently in different components, and the feedback from the teams indicates that this method of illustrating team behavior can be useful as a complement to traditional summary statistics of ownership.

Conclusions: We find that our model-based approach produces useful visualizations of team introductions of code clones as they change different components. Practitioners stated that the visualizations gave them insights that were useful, and by comparing with an average team, inter-team comparisons can be avoided. Thus, this has the potential to be a useful feedback tool for teams in software development organizations that employ weak or collective ownership. © The Author(s) 2024.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2025. Vol. 30, no 2, article id 43
Keywords [en]
Bayesian linear model, Code clones, Code ownership, Software craftsmanship, Team behavior, Bayesian, Code clone, Collective ownership, Large-scales, Linear modeling, Software development organizations, Team behaviour
National Category
Software Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-27329DOI: 10.1007/s10664-024-10598-7ISI: 001377050600004Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85211925991OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-27329DiVA, id: diva2:1923597
Part of project
SERT- Software Engineering ReThought, Knowledge Foundation
Funder
Knowledge Foundation, 20180010Available from: 2024-12-28 Created: 2024-12-28 Last updated: 2025-09-30Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. On Quantifying Software Craftsmanship Concepts
Open this publication in new window or tab >>On Quantifying Software Craftsmanship Concepts
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Background: Books on software craftsmanship typically focus on small teams or individual behavior, and are seldom associated with large, globally distributed organizations that develop and maintain long-lived software systems.

Objective: This thesis aims to quantify the effects of systematically derived aspects of software craftsmanship in industrial settings involving large-scale organizations, with developers spread around the globe.

Method: We employ mixed-methods studies, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR), together with a longitudinal industrial case study, is used to derive an initial anatomy of software craftsmanship, and we use case studies, experience reports and action research to explore and quantify aspects of this anatomy. We use Bayesian methods to analyze data obtained via archival analysis, as well as Likert-scale data obtained froma survey using the Technology Adoption Model (TAM). Qualitative data has been analyzed using thematic coding, and we use focus groups to validate our conclusions with the studied subjects.

Results: Based on the SLR results and a industrial case study, we derive an anatomy of software craftsmanship, based on four themes, 17 principles and 47 practices. The effects of some practices from this anatomy are then quantified in subsequent articles in the thesis.

Conclusion: Based on literature and case study results, we have found a usable conceptual map of software craftsmanship. However, it remains to be seen how this map will stay relevant, in the face of how cloud migrations and AI-powered Large-Language Model tools will impact future software engineers.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlskrona: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, 2025. p. 217
Series
Blekinge Institute of Technology Doctoral Dissertation Series, ISSN 1653-2090 ; 2025:12
Keywords
Software Craftsmanship, Professionalism, Large-scale software development
National Category
Software Engineering
Research subject
Software Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:bth-28614 (URN)978-91-7295-512-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-11-28, J1630, BTH, Valhallavägen 1, Karlskrona, 09:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2025-10-20 Created: 2025-09-12 Last updated: 2025-11-06Bibliographically approved

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Sundelin, AndersGonzalez-Huerta, JavierWnuk, Krzysztof

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