UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM presents "Globally Distributed Development during COVID-19" Dr. John Noll (School of Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire) 12 May 2020 13:00 - 14:00 Over Zoom Abstract: Context: In March 2020 the global COVID-19 pandemic forced an abrupt change in our working lives: office workers across Europe and North America were forced to work from home. Suddenly, organizations had to switch to virtual, online working; the usual informal communication that is part of everyday office life disappeared. Objective: In this study, we seek to understand how Ocuco Ltd., a medium-sized software company headquartered in Ireland, managed to continue developing and delivering software, and expanding, after suddenly switching all communication to online and virtual forms of contact. In particular, we want to know whether software development processes based on the Scaled Agile Framework were helpful. Approach: First, we identified issues faced by Ocuco Ltd. in their transition to completely working-from-home, and the interventions made to address those issues. Then, we conducted a survey of Ocuco’s software development organization to assess the impact of working-from-home on morale, productivity, and employee well-being. Results: Ocuco implemented some major interventions, including providing equipment and furniture to upgrade home offices, a “safe taxi” service for employees who needed to visit the office, and emergency financial support. Smaller steps were also made, such as online social pizza evenings, regular “town hall” status update meetings with the CEO, and one-to-one “check-in” meetings between staff and senior managers. Technology and process changes were minor, as a consequence of having worked in globally distributed teams since 2016; the practices advocated by the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) proved useful in this context. The results of implementing the changes appeared to be quite positive; productivity increased, Ocuco gained new customers, and preliminary results from a wellness survey indicate that staff feel extremely well-supported by Ocuco Ltd. to achieve their goals. However, survey responses did show some developers’ anxiety levels were slightly raised, and many are working longer hours. Conclusion: The interventions made by Ocuco fall into three key areas: People, Process, and Technology. The key message regarding People is that management need to be quick to recognize and react to crises, show strong leadership, listen to employees’ needs, and be informative. Technology, on the other hand, as the route to remaining connected, must be ubiquitous throughout the company, regardless of location; equipment and infrastructure costs must be met by the employer. Finally, Process changes need to be fast, flexible, and inclusive. [1] Clodagh NicCanna, Mohammad Abdur Razzak, John Noll, and Sarah Beecham, “Globally Distributed Development during COVID-19,” 8th International Virtual Workshop on Software Engineering Research and Industrial Practice, June, 2021. (http://arxiv.org/abs/2103.17181)