Developing Shared Vocabulary System For Collaborative Software Engineering
Carey Lai Zheng Hui, Johnson Britto Jessia Esther Leena, Kumuthini Subramanian, Zhao Chenyu, Shubham Rajeshkumar Jariwala

TL;DR
This paper presents a structured approach to developing shared vocabulary systems in software engineering, demonstrating that such systems improve communication clarity and collaboration efficiency despite initial overhead.
Contribution
It introduces a methodology for creating shared vocabularies in software documentation and codebases, validated through empirical experiments within a Design Science Research framework.
Findings
Shared vocabulary systems increase documentation clarity
Improved collaboration efficiency over time
Initial adoption incurs overhead but yields long-term benefits
Abstract
Effective communication is a critical factor in successful software engineering collaboration. However, communication gaps remain a persistent challenge, often leading to misunderstandings, inefficiencies, and defects. This research investigates the technical factors contributing to such misunderstandings and explores the measurable benefits of establishing shared vocabulary systems within software documentation and codebases. Using a Design Science Research (DSR) framework, the study was structured into three iterative phases: problem identification, method development, and empirical validation. The problem identification phase involved thematic analysis of communication data and semi-structured interviews, revealing key factors such as ambiguous messaging, misalignment in documentation, inconsistent code review feedback, and API integration miscommunication. Grounded Theory principles…
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