Workflow management of sprints and software tests: Coordination, consensus, and cooperation in the enterprise wiki of the German National Library of Science and Technology

Abstract

This paper discusses the workflow management of sprints and software tests at the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB) and pays special attention to how the enterprise wiki can be used to support forms of group interaction such as coordination, consensus (finding), and cooperation. The enterprise wiki helps to organize who has to do what by when (coordination). At TIB, it essentially supports the project managers in planning, organizing, and controlling the workflows of the project. Moreover, it facilitates and accelerates the decision making within the team (consensus) and helps the team members to share knowledge and develop ideas by editing common documents (cooperation). The workflows for sprints and software tests as well as their management are illustrated by the example of the TIB project relaunching the TIB|AV-Portal. The paper argues that establishing workflows in the wiki makes collaborative working more efficient and easier to handle. This is shown with respect to the team’s coordination, consensus finding, and cooperation in the project. The paper also specifies the TIB concepts for sprints – a method to develop concepts collaboratively – and software tests. The topic discussed here relates to subject areas such as knowledge management and project management and, more specifically, to collaborative working and computer-supported cooperative work.