Managing conflict in software testing

Abstract

Conflict between software testers and developers is inevitable, but mindful managers minimize its effect on development projects through communication, mutual respect, even social interaction.

Sources of conflict between developers and testers in software development

“…The role of the tester is to surface flaws and errors in developers' code (Cohen et al, 2004;Parkin, 2001). It is a type of systemic conflict that develops as a result of lateral working relationships (Pondy, 1967).…”

“…Software developers and testers are very different from each other in terms of mindsets, goals, experiences, and perceptions of their relative importance (Cohen et al, 2004;Pettichord, 2000;Rothman, 2004). First, developers and testers often have different mindsets, as developers always think in terms of "building" something, whereas testers devise means of "breaking" what developers build.…”

“…These roles typically include end users, business analysts, systems analysts, designers, programmers, testers, and project managers. Interaction can occur between any two roles; and one of the most important interactions in software development process is between developers (a category that typically includes systems analysts, designers, and programmers) and testers (Cohen, Interpersonal conflict between developers and testers is inevitable and pervasive in software development process, given the inherent task and individual differences between them (Cohen et al, 2004;Simmel, 1964). Prior research has focused on the conflict between end users and IS staff (Beath and Orlikowski, 1994;Ives and Olson, 1984;Robey and Farrow, 1982;Smith and McKeen, 1992;Yeh and Tsai, 2001), and conflict among IS staff (Dos Santos and Hawk, 1988; Wang, Chen, Jiang, and Klein, 2005); however, little research has focused specifically on the conflict between developers and testers.…”

“…Prior research indicates that interpersonal conflict between developers and testers is likely to be negatively associated with software quality as well as job satisfaction of the conflicting parties (Barki and Hartwick, 2001; Cohen et al, 2004;Collins, 1986;De Dreu and Weingart, 2003;Jehn, 1995;Wang et al, 2005). Software delivered with poor quality leads to unhappy end users, which in turn, may cause infrequent system use (Hwang and Thorn, 1999), an indicator of system failure (DeLone and McLean, 1992McLean, , 2003.…”

Creativity in Agile Systems Development: A Literature Review

“…Rather it is achieved implicitly through other agile practices, where multitasking and self-organisation are encouraged (Augustine 2005), roles and responsibilities are stated at a much higher level of granularity (Beck and Fowler 2001), short iterations mean that a developer need not be tied to a specific role for a long period of time Cockburn 2001;Schwaber and Beedle 2002), and pair programming and co-located teams allow easy observation between developers (Williams, Kessler et al 2000;Canfora, Cimitile et al 2005). Few researchers have examined the impact of creative abrasion and conflict in the ISD process (see Domino, Collins et al 2003 for a comprehensive literature review), despite the fact that Cohen et al (2003) found such conflict to be a frequent and significant occurrence on ISD projects. Newman and Robey (1992) state that the generation and resolution of conflict is of central theoretical interest to ISD researchers, yet there is "little empirical work relating to conflict handling styles and ISD" (Domino, Collins et al 2003).…”