Technology Support for Collaborative Workgroups

这个项目研究了一小群协作者如何共同工作来设计软件需求，以及群件(用于团队过程的集成硬件/软件)的使用可能会对此过程产生什么影响--好的或坏的--。来自密歇根大学的科学家将与微电子和计算机技术公司(MCC)软件技术项目的同事以及Arthur Andersen&amp；具体项目体现了在计算机系统建设、对人类行为的经验分析以及将技术和认知科学的理论应用于设计和分析工作的技术扩展方面的技能的融合。该方法强调需要使用对未来技术环境的愿景来导航协作技术的设计空间，但一方面利用行为科学的科学基础，另一方面利用计算机科学和信息系统来协助技术实验的发展。这项研究将开展以下具体活动：研究当前的实践--1.从MCC已经收集的访谈数据中分析协作；2.观察目前发生的协作；研究群件支持的协作--3.使用MCC群件原型的协作研究4.使用密歇根大学群件原型的协作研究。该项目将使用观察方法来现场研究群体行为，并将使用连续几代群件原型作为实验工具，以更好地理解协作过程本身。该项目的目标是为协作理论的科学基础做出贡献，协作理论是行为科学与计算机和信息科学的混合，对理解自主代理如何在追求共同任务的过程中协调他们的行为感兴趣。

This project examines how a small group of collaborators works together to design software requirements, and what impact--good or bad--the use of groupware (integrated hardware/software for group processes) might have on this process. Scientists from the University of Michigan will cooperate with colleagues from the Software Technology Program at Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) and Arthur Andersen & Co. The specific projects represent the blending of skills in the building of computer systems, the empirical analysis of human behavior, and the application of theory, both from technology and from cognitive science, to the design and analysis of technology augmentations of work. The approach stresses the need to use a vision of future technology environments to navigate the design space of collaborative technology, but uses the science base of behavioral science on the one hand and computer science and information systems on the other to assist in the development of technology experiments. The research will pursue the following specific activities: Studies of current practice-- 1. An analysis of collaboration from interview data already collected by MCC 2. Observational studies of collaboration as they occur now; Studies of groupware supported collaboration-- 3. Studies of collaboration using MCC groupware prototypes 4. Studies of collaboration using University of Michigan groupware prototypes. The project will use observational methods to study group behavior in situ, and will use successive generations of groupware prototypes as experimental tools for better understanding the collaborative process itself. The goal of the project is to contribute to the science base of collaboration theory, which is a blend of the behavioral sciences and the computer and information sciences interested in understanding how autonomous agents coordinate their behavior in the pursuit of a common task.