Adapting problem solving strategies in control software development to new standards : case examples IEC 61499 and ISOBUS
Seppo Sierla · Aaltodoc (Aalto University) · 2007
New standards in software development can significantly constrain teamwork, and practical success in applying a new standard in a pilot project is therefore more than a technical problem. This dissertation focuses on teamwork specifically from the aspect of problem solving. In two case examples in which the new standards IEC 61499 and ISOBUS were adopted, it is observed that preferred or familiar problem solving strategies can be unsuccessful when work is constrained by a new standard. Adaptations to problem solving strategies are required for successful control software development, yet these changes should permit a team to continue working in a way that has been successful in the past. A compromise is needed between familiar practices and new practices that would best support the use of the new standard. This dissertation studies the emergence of such practices in the context of two standards: IEC 61499 and ISOBUS. Case studies focus on projects, in which there was a requirement to adopt a new standard: either IEC 61499 or ISOBUS. It was presumed that the teams would make attempts to use problem solving strategies that would match the nature of the standard adoption problem. Such attempts were observed only in some situations; participants were inclined to use problem solving approaches that had been successful in the past, even though the nature of problem to be solved had changed due to the new standard. Hence, there are two disparate and possibly conflicting forces at work in a standard adoption project: firstly, there is an attempt to orient problem solving according to the new problem, and secondly there is a tendency to cling to familiar practices that have been successful in the past. Two theoretical frameworks, knowledge networking and technological frames, are used to analyze these two disparate aspects of standard adoption in a software development project. The frameworks are first applied separately and then some conclusions are drawn regarding how these analyses can complement each other to address the two aspects of standards adoption mentioned above. The results suggest how problem solving strategies can be assessed before a project, taking into consideration both the nature of the standard adoption problem and the capability and willingness of the team to follow a particular problem solving approach.