1. Software Engineering I Supannika Koolmanojwong Mobasser
Client Interaction
CSCI 577a
Software Engineering I
Supannika Koolmanojwong Mobasser
September 8, 2017

2. Purpose Mutual Learning Shared responsibility in mutual learning
How to be a good team member and team lead
Define what “clients” and “developers” are.
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3. Mutual learning process
Do you have initial thought on how the final product would look like ?
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4. Avoid Pure Knowledge Transfer
OnCampus (IT/CS)
Clients (Business)
Avoid Pure Knowledge Transfer
DEN (IIV&V/ IT/CS)
Don’t do knowledge transfer
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5. Prefer Collaborative Learning
Clients (Business)
OnCampus (IT/CS)
DEN (IIV&V/ IT/CS)
Prefer collaborative learning
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6. Practices for Encouraging Collaborative Learning
I. Creating Shared Responsibility II. Elaboration III. Optimize creative friction to achieve learning
Emphasize “between client and developers.” Three critical factors: coord norms, effective meeting management, and reconciling and managing differences
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7. Shared Responsibility in mutual learning
A psychological attitude: We’re all on the same team. We’re in this together.
In treatment, go fast on these slides…
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8. Practices for Encouraging Shared Responsibility:
When Managing
Stakeholder Relationships
Help to make ALL stakeholders part of development team:
Put on distribution list
Include in teleconferences
Frequent interactions, even if brief
Identify tasks that developer and client can work on together
Use “we” not “I” during discussions
Focus more on “system usage” than “system development”
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9. Practices for Encouraging Shared Responsibility
when Project Starts
1) Identify a learning facilitator 2) Identify learning objectives for each stakeholder: - Client organization’s work process? - SE development process? - Technology developments? - Use of IS/IT/SE in business? 3) Identify & Assign development tasks related to each learning objective 4) End each meeting with assessment of learning
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10. Practices for Encouraging Collaborative Learning
I. Creating Shared Responsibility II. Elaboration III. Optimize creative friction to achieve learning
Emphasize “between client and developers.” Three critical factors: coord norms, effective meeting management, and reconciling and managing differences
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11. What kind of learning? Sharing idea, illustrate, show me examples
Clients – don’t just give some info – don’t just throw over the wall
Difference between
A client who learned
A client who is satisfied
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12. Purpose of elaboration
Create a common body of knowledge shared by stakeholders about:
A vision of the IT-enabled to-be work process
Business & technical rationale for vision compared to alternatives
Execution Plan
Goals, preferences, and fallback options for each stakeholder
The most efficient ways for each stakeholders to learn
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13. The Elaboration Process
Focus on Actual Work Processes
Not looking for hypothetical ideal, but actual tasks
(Don’t say: “users “USUALLY/would” do X”)
Let’s pick a user, do you have a name for this user?
What Joe Smith does in this case?
Immediately co-create prototype of how work done now or in future.
Observe how client WALKS THROUGH using prototype to make DECISIONS
Note client’s decisions, work around, process
Give client opportunity to explain actions
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14. Elaboration Practices
Learning is not telling; self-explainers learn more than listeners
Thus, allow time for everyone to “self-explain”
How they might use it
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15. Elaboration practices
Make abstract discussions concrete
Use examples related to client’s work
Diagram ideas
Build on the client’s methods for describing work, not your own techniques
Translate terms
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16. Practice 1 10 minutes to discuss about Stakeholders
Discuss who are the stakeholders?
Who are the potential users?
Characteristics (age, occupation)
Ask the questions that you have prepared to ask
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17. Elaboration Practices
Customize learning techniques
Try different techniques
Keep creative ideas flowing
Hand-drawn prototype
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18. Active Listening Ask about unstated reactions to idea Switch roles
Avoid talking too much
Restate what you heard
Build on the client’s examples & ideas
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19. Practices for Encouraging Collaborative Learning
I. Creating Shared Responsibility II. Elaboration III. Optimize creative friction to achieve learning
Emphasize “between client and developers.” Three critical factors: coord norms, effective meeting management, and reconciling and managing differences
(c) USC CSSE

20. Practice 2 10 minutes to discuss Client’s expectations
What are the current business workflow and the potential improvement?
What are the pain points / problems?
How can the development team help?
Development ? What are the capabilities?
What does the end product look like?
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21. Practice 3 10 minutes to discuss Values and Benefits
What will the client or stakeholders receive from this project?
Quantitative / tangible
Qualitative / intangible
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22. Beneficiaries (For Whom)
Program Model
Assumptions: Under what assumptions is this model true?
Stakeholders
(Who)
Initiatives (What)
Value Propositions
(Why)
Beneficiaries (For Whom)
Who/what resources are required for ‘executing’ the initiatives
Do you need to ‘partner’ with another department or organization?
Do you need to hire anyone?
What are the key activities that must be done to for delivering/ realizing the value propositions/ benefits?
Why undertake this project/ program?
What are the value propositions you seek to satisfy/serve?
What are the goals?
Who derives value from the project/program? (Usually the customers or end users; can also be project sponsors)
Cost
Benefits
What are the ‘costs’ involved for successfully implementing the program?
What are the measurable (tangible/intangible) benefits?
The cost and benefits (or revenue) sections complete the program model. Their use/impact will be discussed in detail in the lecture on feasibility analysis.

23. Beneficiaries (For Whom)
Assumptions
Growing needs of volunteers
Continuously growing volunteer pool
Increasing activities requiring more volunteers
Stakeholders
(Who)
Initiatives (What)
Value Propositions
(Why)
Beneficiaries (For Whom)
Developers
Maintainer
IIV & V
Volunteer
Volunteer Coordinator
Supervisor
Develop new volunteer management system
Create web application outreach
Develop improved volunteer management process outreach
Provide training for new job management process
Deploy job management process
Setup work stations for volunteer use
Improved Productivity
Faster volunteer management and less person-to-person time
Improved volunteer management process
Volunteers
Volunteer coordinator
Cost
Benefits
Development Costs,
Maintenance Costs, Maintainer (admin hire),
Web Server (hardware), Web Hosting,
Oracle License etc.
Decreased:
Application Data Entry
Time sheet data entry
Job request time
Job assignment time
Increased volunteer applications
Complete program model for an example volunteer management system

24. III. Learning through Creative Friction
Don’t be afraid to disagree. Talk through, rather than avoid differences of opinions

25. Problems with Many Teams
Participants’ creativity not engaged
Look for solution that creates quick consensus
Unwilling to confront others with different ideas
Politeness takes precedence
INSTEAD:
Sources: Facts (from miscommunication or from your backgrounds – users are not typically very technical and developers are not very well versed in business) – cure with deeper probing, clarification. Objectives (explicit and hidden) – sometimes true objectives are hidden, e.g. get an A for the course. Commitment (non-compliance) – some parties are just more committed than others. Because of differences in power (acquiesence, non-assertiveness, passive acceptance), differences hard to be surfaced. You can’t tell a boss you disagree too often: ain’t good for your health. But you have a difference. Culture – always blamed for breakdowns. Stereotypes like “Asians are shy” etc. Beliefs, which are often irreconcilable. Differences of opinion WILL occur. At least know there is a difference, and start from that point. Work around the difference.
An example difference is: clients might be more concerned with getting a simple prototype that can easily be implemented into a final system while developers might be interested in creating a technically elegant solution.
Elicit from the class on how differences might be manifest.
Then…the presentation forks from the placebo in the “recognize they exist” point.
Recognizing that differences of opinions exist; understanding why the differences relate back to goals (is it the goals were not as well-understood). This is harder than you might think. You'll need Cognitive Elaboration tools to explore this.
Differences of opinion WILL occur.
An example difference is: clients might be more concerned with getting a simple prototype that can easily be implemented into a final system while developers might be interested in creating a technically elegant solution. If you are lucky, differences will emerge as disagreements, If you are not so lucky, they may appear in the guise of miscommunication, conflict over some other issue, failure to comply with agreements, silent treatment, sarcasm, acquiescence. Once differences are identified, we need to understand them (using the techniques already identified in the previous section) Some differences can be managed just with better communication techniques. Other differences are more fundamental. If the communication techniques already identified don't eliminate client/developer differences, then it is necessary to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.
Let's give an example of a possible area of disagreement: Every time Dvlprs talk about the interface between the database and the prototype application being designed, client shows a lack of interest (but doesn't say anything) and then asks them about alternative user interfaces. Dvlprs feel the UI is simple and irrelevant to the key problem, which they believe to be the DB design. So, this shows a disagreement over where to spend limited time: Team feels need to resolve how to make the DB interface work; Client wants to see more alternatives for user interface. So what do you do? First, you acknowledge that there is a disagreement: "every time we talk about DB design, you show a lack of interest; are you more interested in the UI design?" If based on this public acknowledgement, client confirms that there is a disagreement, move to next step (which is to figure out how to resolve it)
Don’t assume that an initial no-diff between client-dvlpr will hold. Search for underlying or less apparent diffs.
Innovation
Creative Friction
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26. Example: Difference in Practices
INDIVIDUAL
COLLABORATIVE
Use prototypes for single solution
Use prototypes to explore different concepts
Enforce single representation of knowledge
Represent knowledge in different ways
Explain own knowledge
Have others explain your knowledge
Talk
Draw, listen, ask questions
Stay in role
Reverse roles
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27. Checklist during meetings
Did you?
Use prototypes to explore concepts?
Let clients develop prototypes?
Create “test-drivable” prototypes?
Make sure client asked as many questions as you did?
Stimulate creativity through questioning?
Restate dialogue to improve understanding?
Use examples from more than one work context?
Avoid using SE-language?
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28. Checklist during meetings (Cont)
Did you:
Use visual examples to explain concepts?
Reverse roles?
Try more than one way to represent how work is done?
Elaborate on client’s idea?
Ground ideas in client’s physical world with a role play by sharing stories of how work is done?
Ask about client’s unstated reactions to an idea?
Show any software that client might want to emulate?
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29. Horrible engineering managers
Obvious
Not so obvious
Not technical enough
Coding full time
Arrogant
Overprotective of team
Stubborn
Too nice
Indecisive
Jump to conclusion
Poor communicator
Talk too much
Ref: Building great software engineering teams, Brian Link
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30. Essential attributes of an Engineering manager
Build Trust
Earn respect
Ask good questions about challenges and technical details
Contribute to code and insightful ideas
Express an opinion
Know when to delegate
Be transparent
Protect team from unnecessary interruptions
Involve team in decisions whenever possible
Ref: Building great software engineering teams, Brian Link
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31. To be a good team member Must haves: Integrity and IQ
Should haves: Energy, Energize, Edge, Execution, Passion
Game changer: Generosity Gene (passion for people, rewarding and positive)
Ref:
- Jack Welch, GE
- Building great software engineering teams, Brian Link
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32. To help the team Culture of sharing vs heroism
Frequent updates on each other
Speak up when something is not working
Volunteer to help people in need
Understand why you’re building stuff
Contribute ideas that solves business problems
Identify risks
Keep track of technical debt
Be brave about trying new things
Be bold about trying new technology, but ask first
Ref: Building great software engineering teams, Brian Link
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33. Summary
Every client-developer encounter is an opportunity for learning
Every client and developer learns differently
Controlling the learning process is better than leaving it uncontrolled
Control it by:
Building and maintaining a sense of shared responsibility for outcomes
Managing conflict for learning
Using elaboration techniques
by “surfacing” assumed (implicit but often misunderstood) norms, agendas (hidden or otherwise), and differences (ranging from pure misconceptions/misinformation to true irreconcilable differences), we set a positive tone for problem-solving and moving forward.
In addition to surfacing, clients and developers must share some responsibility and make an effort to learn from each other. Such sharing and mutual learning helps generate creative alternatives, which in turn leads to successful outcomes.
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