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Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)
Published in: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 3/2011

01-06-2011

Agile Project Management: A Case Study of a Virtual Research Environment Development Project

Authors: Rob Procter, Mark Rouncefield, Meik Poschen, Yuwei Lin, Alex Voss

Published in: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) | Issue 3/2011

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Abstract

In this paper we use a case study of a project to create a Web 2.0-based, Virtual Research Environment (VRE) for researchers to share digital resources in order to reflect on the principles and practices for embedding eResearch applications within user communities. In particular, we focus on the software development methodologies and project management techniques adopted by the project team in order to ensure that the project remained responsive to changing user requirements without compromising their capacity to keep the project ‘on track’, i.e. meeting the goals declared in the project proposal within budget and on time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, we describe how the project team, whose members are distributed across multiple sites (and often mobile), exploit a repertoire of coordination mechanisms, communication modes and tools, artefacts and structuring devices as they seek to establish the orderly running of the project while following an agile, user-centred development approach.
previous article Bridging the Disciplinary Divide: Co-Creating Research Ideas in eScience Teams

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Footnotes
1
The UK Office of Science and Technology e-Infrastructure Working Group defines a VRE as “a set of online tools, systems and processes interoperating to facilitate or enhance the research process within and without institutional boundaries.” See Borda et al. (2006).
 
3
A scientific workflow is a digital artefact that enables the composition of multiple, individual steps in a research process into a single computational entity. In this form, research processes can be automated and, just as importantly, easily shared with and re-used by others.
 
7
The myGrid project is home to a range of individual projects, including myExperiment and Taverna, that share a focus of developing tools to “help e-Scientists get on with science and get on with scientists.” See http://​wiki.​myexperiment.​org/​index.​php/​Main_​Pageww.​mygrid.​org.​uk/​
 
8
CVS (Concurrent Versioning System) is a tool that allows software project teams to keep track of changes in program files.
 
9
The term ‘hackfest’ refers to an intensive, collaborative coding session, designed to accelerate development. The myExperiment hackfests take place every month, last between 2 and 3 days, and focus on getting key requirements translated into code.
 
10
A perception voiced by many developers of e-Research applications is that grid technical standards are too complex and difficult to use (see, e.g. Chin and Coveney 2004).
 
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Metadata
Title
Agile Project Management: A Case Study of a Virtual Research Environment Development Project
Authors
Rob Procter
Mark Rouncefield
Meik Poschen
Yuwei Lin
Alex Voss
Publication date
01-06-2011
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) / Issue 3/2011
Print ISSN: 0925-9724
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7551
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-011-9137-z

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