Knowledge Sharing in Software Development Projects

Driving and enabling knowledge sharing in an organisation is no trivial task, especially where factors influencing knowledge sharing are not known and understood. In order to gain a better understanding of these factors that determine knowledge sharing, kinds of knowledge considered useful to share and the ways of sharing such knowledge also need to be understood. This study explores knowledge sharing in software development projects with focus on (i) kinds of knowledge considered useful to share, (ii) ways of sharing knowledge, and (iii) factors influencing the sharing of useful knowledge. In order to extract information, views and opinions from experts in the field of ICT, more specifically, from those who are involved in IT projects (project managers, business analysts, system testers, database administrators and programmers), expert sampling as subcategory of purposive sampling was employed. Four software developing organisations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), South Africa, successfully participated in this research study. Quantitative data was collected using an online questionnaire with closed-ended questions. Findings from this research study revealed that, for the software developing organisations studied, top factors influencing knowledge sharing, include job security, motivational factors, lack of time, psychological factors, poor communication, resistance to change, lack of rewards, unrealistic expectations and education. Knowledge considered useful to share include methodology followed when designing a piece of software, database design, software testing, assigning of resources, communication skills, and algorithm. Ways of sharing knowledge include emails, wikis, chat rooms, scrum meetings and team networking.