Chapter XIII
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Knowledge at Work in
Software Development:
A Cognitive Approach for
Sharing Knowledge and
Creating Decision Support
for Life-Cycle Selection
Luca Iandoli
University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Giuseppe Zollo
University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Abstract
Knowledge management practices in software development and engineering have
been focused mainly on knowledge sharing and maintenance whereas less attention
has been devoted to knowledge elicitation and codification issues. In this chapter we
present a methodology based on causal mapping for the investigation and management
of knowledge created and elaborated by software development teams in the production
of new software applications. The chapter focuses on the early stages of the process
when development teams have to make a choice regarding the software life cycle model
that best fits, given constraints concerning ambiguity of the requirements, risks, costs
evaluation and scheduling. A step-by-step application of the proposed methodology
to a case study in a software company is presented to provide the reader with examples
drawn from the field analysis and illustrates critical methodological aspects.
Implications for knowledge management in software project development are then
outlined and discussed.