Broadcasting Knowledge (for XP)

A particular way of soliciting assistance, seen in small collocated groups (often involved in tightly coupled activities), by making a public request for help

Description and Analysis

Other researchers have described the similar phenomena of talking to the room. This activity is one of the means by which workers can solicit help from collocated others others by talking out load to the room. This activity implies a general ask for help through which the assister or helper self selects by answering the query. This technique is often related to a number of other techniques where the broadcaster in some manner selects the helper (or designates the possible helper) by, for example, naming a person, or looking towards them. Conversely, in such environments assistance may well be provided without specifically being solicited, for example as a worker is walking around looking at what others are doing (DoingWalkabout). In this setting it is commonplace that, for example, if a developer has a problem that they hope can be easily solved with a few words from the right person, they will often broadcast a request for help. For example: Can anyone remember what we did last time the DB (database) ran out of processes?. There are also more structured ways in which help is solicited, for example through the paired programming or through 'standing-up' (explicitly convening an impromptu meeting to engage in collaborative problem solving). This type of activity has been seen in tightly coupled teamwork settings, for instance, control rooms thus can be seen as a feature of work that is highly collaborative and reflective of integrated teamwork.

Comparison to other Methods

This is a feature of teamwork and as such may be a commonplace means of gaining assistance in situations where a team works closely together. In settings involved in software development that are less closely collaborative we might expect that such activity is less frequent as it is less faciltiated by development practices.

Links to related generic pattern:

The pattern 'collaboration in small groups' describes a range of activities through which collocated group members solicit assistance from others, including talking to the room, the selection of technique being dependent on a number of activity and situation related features.

CollaborationInSmallGroups

http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/research/cseg/projects/pointer/patterns/collocatedTeamwork/collocatedTeamwork.html (legacy site)