Uses, Benefits, and Limitations of Job Rotation in Software Engineering

Abstract

Context. Job Rotation is an organizational practice whereby individuals are moved among jobs or projects in the same organization. In software companies, job rotation is a common practice as well, especially to promote the movement of professionals among different software projects. For several years, researchers from different research areas have studied the effects of this practice on the work of employees, however in software engineering research the studies regarding this practice are still wispy. Goal: The goal of this PhD research is to build a substantive theory of job rotation in software engineering, along with the construction and validation of a set of guidelines to improve the use of job rotation in software companies. Thus, we seek to provide instruments to plan, execute and evaluate the effects of this practice on the work of software engineers. Method: Consistent with the nature of our problem and the investigated phenomenon, a multi-method approach, specially based on longitudinal and exploratory studies, is being performed to understand, interpret and explain the effects of job rotation in software engineers and posteriorly in the software development process. So far, we have concluded a systematic literature review and an industrial case study on this theme. Moreover, a cross-sectional survey is being concluded and ethnographically-supported multiple case studies are being planned to improve and complement the current findings. Results: Until this point, this PhD work has presented a set of contributions both to academic research and to industrial practice. Our initial theory contributes to raise the awareness of the potential conflicts associated to the practice of job rotation and start to prepare practitioners to deal with negative impacts of this practice. However, further research is still needed to improve this theory and to construct guidelines to industry