Abstract:
Group facilitation is an important element of group
approaches to Requirements Engineering (RE). The
facilitatiori in 'traditional' face-to-face groups is
challenged by the increased globalization of the software
industry. Thorough empirical investigation of human
facilitution in computer-mediated requirements meetings is
needed. This paper presents findings about the facilitation
of distributed group settings in a controlled environment.
Three professional facilitators mediate 15 three-person
groups negotiating software requirements. Facilitation in
face-to-face meetings is contrasted with four group settings
in which the facilitator is physically separated from the
group or co-located with key stakeholders. Rich qualitative
and behavioral data enables an understanding of
differences and similarities in the facilitation of the
distributed groups and of aspects that were detrimental or
beneficial to their facilitation. The empirical evidence
indicates a reduced richness of social behaviors in
computer-mediated group settings which (1) made the
group facilitation problematic but also (2) enabled certain
facilitation support in the medium itself.
