Employee Experience (EX) in Software Development
We are conducting research and development with the goal of promoting the well-being of individuals involved in software development and enhancing the Employee Experience (EX). Our objective is to enable software development to be carried out by anyone, at any time, and from anywhere, by providing solutions that expand opportunities for diverse individuals to thrive. Remote work, which has been promoted due to COVID-19, is expected to broaden working conditions by expanding the choice of work locations. Many companies cite objectives such as “improving the well-being and health of employees,” “accommodating individuals with commuting challenges,” and “retaining talented individuals” as reasons for implementing remote work. All of these objectives contribute to creating a comfortable work environment for employees. Workers have expressed various benefits of remote work, including reduced commuting and travel time, increased free time, and the ability to better balance work with childcare and parenting responsibilities.
Traditionally, the workplace in software development, especially within companies, has been restricted to a specific location. This is partly because easy communication between clients and developers is believed to lead to successful software development. Additionally, having a fixed workplace facilitates information and worker management for companies.
OSS as a predecessor
Open Source Software(OSS) is a broad term that refers to software that allows users to use, study, reuse, modify, extend, and redistribute its source code for any purpose. It has gained significant attention for its advanced development style, which involves frequent releases and collaboration among contributors connected through the Internet. Much valuable software is created through the cooperation of developers from all over the world.
This fact has caught the attention of big tech, which also has something to learn from it. As the OSS community grows, software developers and management are becoming increasingly interested in the state of the OSS community and product management.
Is the OSS Community a Utopia?
There are various opinions about the state of the OSS community and the involvement of developers in projects. It is important to consider that the opinions of clients and management are often subjective, influenced by the origins of the OSS community and other factors. Practitioners gain knowledge from their own experience, while the general population receives and interprets empirical information, sometimes with preconceived notions. Consequently, having overly high expectations can lead to disappointment or excessive concern. For instance, the term “agile” is perceived differently by developers who associate it with their own activities, and by management who view it as a means to an end.
Therefore, the collaborative team between NTT and Kyushu University selected six topics related to OSS and differentiated between data-based facts and fiction (myths). This EBook aims to clarify the facts behind the myths.
OSS Myths and Facts (updated on 2024.4.16)