Lecture 2

Team Coordination
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Team Coordination
Team Formation and Organization
Group Management
Meeting Techniques
Large software systems require a coordinated team
of software engineers for effective development
Team organization involves devising roles for
individuals and assigning responsibilities
Organizational structure attempts to facilitate
cooperation
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Team Organizations
Organizing is building a team
Appropriate organization depends on project length
and complexity
For long-term projects, job satisfaction is extremely
important for reduced turnover
Need mix of senior and junior engineers to facilitate
both accomplishing the task and training
Adding people to a project introduces further
delays
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Team Organizations
Hierarchical organizations minimize and
discourage communication, while
democratic organizations encourage it
Appropriate size depends on complexity
small teams lead to cohesive design, less overhead,
more unity, higher morale
but some tasks too complex
optimal size between 3 and 8
Appropriate design leads to appropriate
assignment of tasks and appropriate team
organization

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Centralized-Control
Hierarchical organizational structure and matching
pattern of communication
chief programmer team
chief programmer reports to peer project manager
programmers report to chief programmer
librarian responsible for central repository
specialists added as needed
Works well with simple tasks that can be grasped
by one good engineer, but single point of failure
chief programmer
librarian programmers specialists
project manager
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Decentralized Control
Ring organization and connected communication
democratic team



decisions made by consensus
all work is group work: ego-less programming
leads to higher morale and job satisfaction
not appropriate for large teams
More appropriate for less understood and more
complex programs with longer term project
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Mixed Control
Hierarchy with extra communication







senior engineers report to project manager
junior engineers report to senior engineers
control is vested in project manager and senior engineers
communication is decentralized among each set of peers and their
supervisor
Limits communication to a small group and realizes
benefits of group decisions by vesting authority
project manager
senior engineers
junior engineers
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Effective Teams
Team members
desire to be part of group task
have an interest in task with social interaction
are interested in improvement and can accept constructive
criticism
are genuinely interested in sharing knowledge
do their own share
Team approach
generates conflict
requires good strategies
forming: initial meeting to get acquainted and assess skills
storming: characterized by conflict and open brainstorming
norming: establishing normal patterns of behavior and approach
performing: documenting the results
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Conflict Resolution
Conflict is a positive attribute indicative of multiple
ideas
Conflict management is selecting between
alternative actions
Conflict resolution can be done by
compromise: great appeal, but may indicate avoiding
forcing: one person insists on action
avoidance: ignore conflict, hoping it will go away
confrontation: examine areas of disagreement, discuss
differences and bring solution out in open
Group cohesion leads toward cooperation and good
conflict resolution
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Meeting Techniques
Schedule early, at times when all can attend, at good
venue, started when all arrive
Prepare well, with detailed agenda and list of action
items
Procedures: complete agenda, discuss facts, solicit
input from all members, take action, everyone
should leave with something to do before next
meeting
Group Interaction: pay attention and react,
concentrate on group, watch for nonverbal
communication, backtrack when problems arise