Grimm Inside a Secret Software Laboratory

An Ethnographic Study of a Global Software Package Producer
2012
ISBN: 978-3-8349-7176-0
Verlag: Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Gabler
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 298 Seiten, eBook

How does one of the world's biggest Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suppliers develop software? How do Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and Co really work? Christine Grimm presents a first-hand account of a social researcher who entered the software laboratory of one of the biggest ERP providers. Presenting an in-depth ethnography on how people act within such labs, she reveals the highly unexpected social character of programming and shows how the vendor reorganizes himself to find new ways to respond to the expectations of the market. Furthermore, the author highlights the informal practices when an ERP system, as a defective or incomplete product, re-enters the supplier's labs. The book provides a window into what happens if bugs are dug up and emotions on both the supplier and customer sides are running high.

Dr. Christine Grimm received her PhD in interdisciplinary research from the University of Edinburgh. She  works as a senior researcher in the research laboratory of a software provider.  

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Grimm, Christine

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Acknowledgements;6
2;Abstract;8
3;Contents;10
4;List of Figures;13
5;List of Abbreviations;14
6;1 Introduction;16
6.1;1.1 Towards a Different Understanding of ERP Systems;16
6.2;1.2 Aim of This Research;22
6.3;1.3 Structure of This Book;25
6.4;1.4 A Note on Style;26
7;2 Discussion of Existing Knowledge;27
7.1;2.1 Introduction;27
7.2;2.2 ERP Systems in Social Research;29
7.2.1;2.2.1 ERP System Design;29
7.2.2;2.2.2 ERP System Development;32
7.2.3;2.2.3 ERP System Procurement;41
7.2.4;2.2.4 ERP System Implementation;44
7.2.5;2.2.5 ERP System Support;46
7.3;2.3 Summary: ERP Systems in Social Research;52
7.4;2.4 Science and Technology Studies: Conceptual Perspective;53
7.4.1;2.4.1 Organisational Sociology of Software;55
7.4.2;2.4.2 Social Constructivist Analysis of Software;55
7.4.3;2.4.3 Studies of the Commodification of Software;57
7.5;2.5 Summary: Conceptual Perspective;59
7.6;2.6 Conclusion;60
8;3 Settings and Research Methods;61
8.1;3.1 Introduction;61
8.2;3.2 An Ethnographic Tale;62
8.2.1;3.2.1 Arriving at the Labs;63
8.2.2;3.2.2 A Day in the Labs and the Importance of Food;69
8.2.3;3.2.3 The Atmosphere;74
8.2.4;3.2.4 My Work;78
8.2.5;3.2.5 Developer Training;79
8.3;3.3 Introducing People;82
8.4;3.4 Participating in Other Peoples’ Lives;84
8.4.1;3.4.1 The Necessity of the ‘Stranger’s Eye’;85
8.4.2;3.4.2 Changing Roles;89
8.4.3;3.4.3 When the ‘Subjects’ Become Friends;94
8.5;3.5 Ethnography;96
8.5.1;3.5.1 Getting Access;97
8.5.2;3.5.2 A Triangular Approach to Data Collection;99
8.5.3;3.5.3 ‘Finding’ Interesting Topics;100
8.5.4;3.5.4 Interviews;101
8.5.5;3.5.5 Participant Observation;103
8.5.6;3.5.6 Secondary Data;104
8.6;3.6 Evolving Research Questions;105
8.7;3.7 Limitations;106
8.8;3.8 Conclusion;109
9;4 ERP System Support;110
9.1;4.1 Introduction;110
9.2;4.2 The Birth of a Support Message: The User’s Site;112
9.2.1;4.2.1 Creating a Support Message;112
9.2.2;4.2.2 Setting Message Priorities;114
9.3;4.3 Distributing Problems;116
9.4;4.4 Avoiding Problems: The Game of Ping Pong;118
9.5;4.5 When Experts and Problems Meet;120
9.5.1;4.5.1 Problems Arrive;121
9.5.2;4.5.2 Solving Problems;123
9.6;4.6 Whose Fault Is It Anyway (and Who Pays For It)?;129
9.7;4.7 Which Problems Should Be Solved First?;133
9.7.1;4.7.1 Message Priorities: When Problems Escalate;133
9.7.2;4.7.2 Negotiating Space;141
9.7.3;4.7.3 Informal Priorities: The Support’s Discretion;143
9.7.4;4.7.4 New Tools to Frame the Relationship;146
9.8;4.8 User Discretion: Evaluating the Support;147
9.9;4.9 Summary;149
9.10;4.10 Analysing the Support;150
9.10.1;4.10.1 Dis-embedding and Distributing Problems;152
9.10.2;4.10.2 Re-embedding Problems: Visiting the User Virtually;156
9.10.3;4.10.3 The Power of Formal and Informal Problem Priorities;158
9.11;4.11 Conclusion;161
10;5 ERP System Development;163
10.1;5.1 Introduction;163
10.2;5.2 Tom’s Strategy;165
10.3;5.3 A New Software Development Approach Is Needed;171
10.4;5.4 “What Is It That We Are Doing?”;180
10.4.1;5.4.1 Conforming Interpretations?;180
10.4.2;5.4.2 The Participating Researcher Discovers Inconsistencies;182
10.5;5.5 Summary;187
10.6;5.6 Enactment of the Managerial Changes;188
10.6.1;5.6.1 Enactment: The Daily Confirmation;191
10.6.2;5.6.2 Enactment: The Daily Scrums;192
10.6.3;5.6.3 Enactment: Development Phases and Unit Tests;205
10.7;5.7 The Feeling of Becoming ‘Visible‘;209
10.8;5.8 Conclusion;216
11;6 Analysing the Labs;219
11.1;6.1 Introduction;219
11.2;6.2 Introducing Competing Management Practices;220
11.2.1;6.2.1 Managerial Power and Accountability;223
11.2.2;6.2.2 When Control Mechanisms Are Not Welcome;225
11.3;6.3 Communication Structure and Working Practices;228
11.4;6.4 Conclusion;234
12;7 Discussion and Conclusion;238
12.1;7.1 Introduction;238
12.2;7.2 The Challenge of Serving a Diverse User Base;242
12.3;7.3 The Challenge of Developing Standard Software;251
12.4;7.4 Reflections;265
12.5;7.5 Future Research;267
13;References;273
14;Appendices;288
14.1;Appendix 1: Fieldwork Notes Week Two;288
14.2;Appendix 2: Fieldwork Notes Week Fourteen [Comments About the Daily Meetings, Week Fourteen];292
14.3;Appendix 3: Oracle and SAP’s Solution Maps;296
14.4;Appendix 4: Published Work;298

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Christine Grimm received her PhD in interdisciplinary research from the University of Edinburgh. She  works as a senior researcher in the research laboratory of a software provider.