ISR
Jim Herbsleb
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The talk will focus on how we combined empirical studies of distributedwork and results from trials of an instant messaging (IM) application todesign new collaborative services that take advantage of the convergenceof voice and data networks. We used a survey and an analysis of changemanagement data to measure the extent of delay in a multi-site softwaredevelopment organization. Results indicated that cross-site work takesmuch longer and requires more people than comparable same-site work. IMwas among several tools we deployed, which were designed specifically toaddress the issues of speed we identified. We report our strategy forintroducing IM, the lessons we learned, and how we revised our strategybased on this experience. Next, we describe enhanced versions of thesetools that are being developed as products. We conclude with anexamination of research issues in collaborative technologies that wethink should get more attention.
James D. Herbsleb is currently a member of the Software ProductionResearch Department, and leader of the Bell Labs Collaboratoryproject. He holds an M.S. in computer science from the University ofMichigan, and a Ph.D. in psychology from University of Nebraska. He hasheld positions as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University ofMichigan, and a senior member of the technical staff of the SoftwareEngineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He took hiscurrent position in Bell Laboratories Research in 1996. For the past 10years, he has conducted research in the areas of collaborative softwareengineering, human-computer interaction, and computer supportedcooperative work. For the last three years, his work has focused oncollaboration technology to support large globally distributed projects.