Connecting the Dots Between Human Factors and Software Engineering

Abstract

Software engineering (SE) is a human-intensive activity where human factors play a fundamental role. As such, SE is an inherently sociotechnical endeavor on which different social and technical aspects are involved. In fact, it is recognized that successful SE not only depends on technical or process issues, but also it is influenced by human factors. They have been proved to have impact on software process and their study is a growing research field. The summary presented in this chapter highlights the results obtained in a five-year effort research aiming at understanding the role that human factors play in SE. As a result, a holistic view of human factors on software process is given.