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<org.eclipse.epf.uma:ContentDescription xmi:version="2.0" xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI" xmlns:org.eclipse.epf.uma="http://www.eclipse.org/epf/uma/1.0.3/uma.ecore" epf:version="1.0.0" xmi:id="-IXfkG-XfnoEo0xgux482Kw" name="core_principle_collaborate,_KkTIsMp7EdqC_NfSivunjA" guid="-IXfkG-XfnoEo0xgux482Kw" authors="Steve Adolph" changeDate="2006-09-27T16:35:17.403-0700" changeDescription="Initial Version |Removed metaphoric photo. Removed &quot;Don't go dark&quot; collaborative practice.|Removed metaphoric photo. Removed &quot;Don't go dark&quot; collaborative practice. Removed open_up from page name.|Added &quot;organize around the architecture practice&quot;" version="0.03">
  <mainDescription>&lt;h3&gt;
    Introduction
&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Software is created by people with different interests and skills who must work together to create software
    effectively.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Therefore, develop practices that foster a healthy team environment. A healthy team environment enables effective
    collaboration, which aligns the interests of project participants (development team, quality assurance, product
    stakeholders, customers) and helps project participants develop a shared understanding of the project.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt&quot;&gt;
    Practices
&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt&quot;&gt;
    The next sections describe the practices associated with this principle.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt&quot;&gt;
    Maintain a common understanding
&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Project participants require a common understanding of a project to cooperate effectively. Otherwise, disorder sets in,
    because the team members cannot align their understanding and interests and will work with different purposes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Be proactive communicating and sharing information with project participants and do not assume that everyone will just
    find what they need to know or that each person has the same understanding of the project as everyone else. Use work
    products, such as the Vision, Work Items List, and Requirements to align the understanding between the stakeholders and
    developers. Use the architecture to focus and align the interests of the developers. At the end of each iteration, get
    agreement on whether the iteration goals have been reached, and, if not, what actions must be taken.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;MARGIN: auto 0in&quot;&gt;
    Foster a high-trust environment
&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    People who do not feel safe will not communicate their ideas, take the initiative, or admit their ignorance. In these
    low-trust work environments, activities must be laboriously planned in detailed, carefully supervised, and extensively
    audited. A team working in a low-trust environment may not be able to keep up with rapid change.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Therefore, take actions that foster a high-trust environment:
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Manage by intent.&lt;/strong&gt; Create an environment where teams manage themselves, and managers serve as
            mentors to teams to help them complete their objectives.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Tear down the walls.&lt;/strong&gt; Work to remove both the physical and mental barriers that inhibit
            development of a common understanding among project participants.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Walk a mile (or 1.6 kilometers) in someone else's shoes.&lt;/strong&gt; Respect and try to understand the
            perspectives of others before criticizing their ideas or responding to their criticism.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Respond to conversations with relevance.&lt;/strong&gt; People, especially technical workers, often respond
            with argument or disagreement, which leads to rivalry and the establishment of a pecking order in which only a
            few people contribute to the discussion. Develop and encourage behavior that values curiosity and relevance
            over argument and disagreement.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Always look to yourself first for the source of communication problems.&lt;/strong&gt; Understand that
            everyone has a perspective that is largely invisible to the individual (although it is often obvious to
            everyone else). Develop the habit of identifying the assumptions and prejudices within yourself that lead to
            argument or lack of communication. Learn to overcome these in the moment of the conversation. This takes
            practice. There are times when others may be intractable, but often the problem can be addressed by wrestling
            with your own perspective.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;
            &lt;strong&gt;Understand the constraints of the workplace culture.&lt;/strong&gt; Some organizations operate in a way that
            allows people to admit mistakes, ask questions, and experiment. Some organizations limit these expressions, but
            they may change, with time and effort. Some organizations have no tolerance for error, and workers put
            themselves in danger by admitting mistakes or experimenting. Understand your environment and protect yourself
            accordingly. Understand that low-trust organizations have more problems in achieving their goals and provide a
            less satisfying environment.
        &lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;MARGIN: auto 0in&quot;&gt;
    Share responsibility
&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    There may be disadvantages for individuals when they work alone. Communication with the team can become sporadic, and
    then stop. People may get into trouble and not ask for help, or not realize that the team is in trouble and needs their
    help. Their understanding of the project may become misaligned with the rest of the team. In the worse situations,
    trust breaks down as individuals see the team working at different purposes to their interests.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Therefore, while individuals have primary responsibility for their work products, responsibility for work products is
    shared. Nothing is someone else's responsibility. This may mean either taking up slack and working with someone who is
    lagging for some reason or asking for help. Experienced staff should be extra-vigilant and watch over less-experienced
    staff, encouraging them to ask for help if necessary.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;MARGIN: auto 0in&quot;&gt;
    Learn continuously
&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Not only is software development a fast-developing field where technical skills rapidly become obsolete, it is also an
    empirical process, where software is developed in a manner that sometimes resembles trial and error. Furthermore,
    software is developed by teams of people who must work together to achieve results.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    Therefore, continuously develop both your technical and interpersonal skills. Learn from the examples of your
    colleagues. Take the opportunity to be both a student of your colleagues, as well as a teacher to them. Always increase
    your personal ability to overcome your own antagonism toward other team members.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt&quot;&gt;
    Organize around the architecture
&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt&quot;&gt;
    As projects grow in size, communication between team members becomes increasingly complex.&lt;span     style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;While all team members understand the overall system, they can focus primarily
    on the one or more subsystems they are responsible for. Organizing around the architecture also helps with
    communication by providing the team with a common vocabulary and shared mental model of the system&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;
    Communication between team members becomes increasingly complex. Therefore, organize the team around the architecture
    and the vocabulary and shared mental model of the system. However, be watchful that individuals and teams organized
    this way do not form a so-called &lt;em&gt;silo mentality&lt;/em&gt;, where they focus strictly on their subsystems and become
    ignorant of the other subsystems.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
    An architecture that reflects the organization’s structure is not evidence that the team has successfully organized
    around the architecture. If organizations and teams are not organized around the architecture, then the architecture
    will naturally conform to the organization, as a result of political and cultural influences. In the end, the
    architecture and the organization will almost always be a reflection of each other. The goal is to guide team
    organization from the needs of the architecture as much as possible.
&lt;/p&gt;</mainDescription>
</org.eclipse.epf.uma:ContentDescription>