Knowledge boundaries in ISD-Offshoring

Today, clients from western countries can realize their ideas for a new software when sourcing software development projects to offshore regions. On the one hand, a client often has knowledge about the software product, but may be a novice when it comes to software development. On the other, software developers have technical knowledge to implement the software, but are often unfamiliar with the desired software product. Thus, client and vendor rely on each other to achieve the software development tasks. They need to convey knowledge to each other across knowledge boundaries (e.g. different language, interpretations and interests) which inhibit collaboration between them. Our research focuses on how these knowledge boundaries can be bridged over time. Thereby, we focus on the mediating role of the software prototype which has gained more importance with the increase of agile software development methods. We are interested in how different use practices with software prototypes help bridging knowledge boundaries in the short and long term.

Publications

Winkler, Maike; Brown, Carol; Huber, Thomas (May 2015). Recurrent Knowledge Boundaries in Outsourced Software Projects: A Longitudinal Study. In: Twenty-Third European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Münster, Germany. 26.-29.05.2015.

Winkler, Maike; Huber, Thomas; Dibbern, Jens (December 2014). The Software Prototype as Digital Boundary Object – A Revelatory Longitudinal Innovation Case. In: International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Auckland, New Zealand.