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Task Interruption in Software Development Projects

Zahra Shakeri Hossein Abad · Oliver Karras · Kurt A. Schneider · Ken E. Barker

32 citations0/0 files storedInternational Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering (EASE)

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Personal Information Management and User Behavior Software Engineering Techniques and Practices Software Engineering Research

Abstract

Multitasking has always been an inherent part of software development and is known as the primary source of interruptions due to task switching in software development teams. Developing software involves a mix of analytical and creative work, and requires a significant load on brain functions, such as working memory and decision making. Thus, task switching in the context of software development imposes a cognitive load that causes software developers to lose focus and concentration while working thereby taking a toll on productivity. To investigate the disruptiveness of task switching and interruptions in software development projects, and to understand the reasons for and perceptions of the disruptiveness of task switching we used a mixed-methods approach including a longitudinal data analysis on 4,910 recorded tasks of 17 professional software developers, and a survey of 132 software developers. We found that, compared to task-specific factors (e.g. priority, level, and temporal stage), contextual factors such as interruption type (e.g. self/external), time of day, and task type and context are a more potent determinant of task switching disruptiveness in software development tasks. Furthermore, while most survey respondents believe external interruptions are more disruptive than self-interruptions, the results of our retrospective analysis reveals otherwise. We found that self-interruptions (i.e. voluntary task switchings) are more disruptive than external interruptions and have a negative effect on the performance of the interrupted tasks. Finally, we use the results of both studies to provide a set of comparative vulnerability and interaction patterns which can be used as a mean to guide decision-making and forecasting the consequences of task switching in software development teams.

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References

1977The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data 1988Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning 1987Cognitive Psychology and Its Implications 2014The Atomic Components of Thought 2004"Constant, constant, multi-tasking craziness"2002The Scope and Importance of Human Interruption in Human-Computer Interaction Design 2005No task left behind?2016Grounded theory in software engineering research

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2019Multiple Team Membership: An Integrative Review 2018Two Sides of the Same Coin: Software Developers' Perceptions of Task Switching and Task Interruption

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