Handoff study

As part of a broader series of projects to understand gaps between guides to action and practitioner behavior, we are studying the process of handing off responsibility for a software project and how that process may differ from what is taught in a software engineering curriculum.

To participate, please fill out our Screener Survey.

Study Information Sheet

Project Handoffs in Software Engineering

You are invited to participate in a research study seeking to understand the processes used in the computing field to hand off responsibility for a given piece of code from one person to another. Specifically, we seek to understand what kinds of activities are associated with handing off development responsibility and what kinds of documentation organizations tend to produce to support this, as part of a broader study to identify gaps between how software engineering is taught in a university setting and how it is practiced in the field.

Eligibility to Participate

Participants must be adults (i.e., at least 18 years old if they are from the United States and/or above the age of majority in their locale if they are not), be able to conduct an interview in English, be familiar with handing off code, and be willing to participate in a 30-45 minute interview recorded over audio or video communication.

Procedures for the Study

If you agree to be in the study, you will first complete a short questionnaire asking about your familiarity with handing off code. You will then participate in an interview conducted remotely by voice or video either using Zoom or a platform of your choice.

You will be asked about your professional background and experience in software engineering in regards to the handoff process. The interview will dive into the process, materials, and challenges associated with handoffs. You will also be asked about your broader observations about the field and whether the skills required to execute a handoff are learned on the job or from an educational background.

We expect that most interviews will last between 30 and 45 minutes. These interviews will be recorded and then transcribed so that our research team can have a record of what you have said. We will delete the recordings themselves once the interviews are fully transcribed. We will edit out any identifiers from these transcripts so that all retained records are anonymous.

Voluntary Participation and Withdrawal

Taking part in this study is voluntary. You may choose not to take part or may leave the study at any time. For example, you may cancel the interview before it begins or choose to end the interview at any point. Leaving the study will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled. Your decision of whether or not to participate in the study will not affect your current or future relations with the University of Washington.

Payment for Participation

You may be compensated with a $30 Amazon gift card. Amazon gift cards can only be used in the country where they were purchased and they can only be used on amazon.com’s USA website or one of Amazon’s international sites (Australia, Brazil, Canada, People’s Republic of China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom). If you want to receive the gift card, we must collect your name, email address, and the country where you intend to use the gift card, in order to comply with financial requirements.

Confidentiality

We will endeavor to keep your personal information confidential. However, we cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. Your personal information may be disclosed if required by law. Your identifying information including your email address and audio/video recording of our conversion will be held in confidence until the reports resulting from the study are published, after which they will be deleted. The identities of any organizations you describe will be removed from the transcripts.

Our university requires that if you opt to receive any payment gift card, we will need to collect your name and email address and retain this information for a period of 5-6 years. We will store this information in an encrypted file separate from the rest of the information we collect and will not share this information except in the case of a financial audit. If you do not wish to receive compensation, we will not collect your name or maintain any identifiers (like your email) after the study is concluded. We will retain interview transcripts for purposes of peer review, research reproduction, and research replication. However, any such uses must be approved by the primary investigator Kaylea Champion. Any purposes which increase risk of reidentification or harm are prohibited. Any purposes which would violate federal, state, local, or Tribal law or regulation are prohibited. Any purposes which would violate institutional policies are prohibited. If you wish to withdraw your interview transcripts, you must notify the primary investigator; note that if any data sharing takes place, your data will be included in this release and cannot be retrieved from the recipient.

Questions or Problems

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about the study or this information sheet contact the researcher Kaylea Champion at kaylea@uw.edu

If you have questions about your rights as a research subject or if you think the research has hurt you, you may contact the UW Human Subjects Division at 206-543-0098 or hsdinfo@uw.edu.