Practices to Improve Teamwork in Software Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Ethnographic Study

TL;DR

This ethnographic study identifies three innovative practices—costume meetings, second-language days, and project happy hours—that helped remote software teams maintain cohesion and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contribution

The paper introduces specific practices developed by a remote team to enhance engagement and cohesion, providing insights into effective remote teamwork strategies during crises.

Findings

Practices increased individual involvement

Practices improved team cohesion

Practices reduced monotony and fostered knowledge sharing

Abstract

Context. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, software professionals had to abruptly shift to ostensibly temporary home offices, which affected teamwork in several ways. Goal. This study aims to explore how these professionals coped with remote work during the pandemic and to identify practices that supported the team activities. Method. Ethnographic methods, including participant observation and qualitative data analysis, were used. Results. Three practices were created by the observed team to improve their engagement: costume meeting, second-language day, and project happy hour. These practices appear to increase individual involvement, improve team cohesion, reduce monotony, and create opportunities for knowledge acquisition. Conclusions. The three observed practices may help remote software teams cope with adversity. More research is needed to determine if these practices work in other settings, including remote-first and hybrid remote / on-site teams, post-pandemic.