Developing Shared Vocabulary System For Collaborative Software Engineering

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 were employed to design a structured methodology for collaborative vocabulary development. Empirical validation through controlled experiments demonstrated that while initial adoption introduced overhead, the shared vocabulary system significantly improved information density, documentation clarity, and collaboration efficiency over time. Findings offer actionable insights for improving communication practices in software engineering, while also identifying limitations and directions for future research.