Distributed development of large-scale distributed systems: the case of the particle physics grid

Developing a Grid within High Energy Physics for the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator is characterised as a highly collaborative, distributed and dynamic systems development effort. This research examines the way this distributed Grid is developed, deployed and provided as a service to the thousands of physicists analysing data from the Large Hadron Collider. The particle physics community has always been at the forefront of computing with a tradition of working in large distributed collaborations, therefore providing a "distinctive" case of distributed systems development practice. The focus of concern is the collaborative systems development practices employed by particle physicists in their attempt to develop a usable Grid. The research aims to offer lessons and practical recommendations to those involved in globally distributed systems development and to inform the information systems development literature. Global software development presents unaddressed challenges to organisations and it is argued that there is an urgent need for new systems development practices and strategies to be created that can facilitate and embrace the rapid changes of the environment and the complexities involved in such projects. The contribution of the study, therefore, is a framework of guidance towards engendering what the author defines as "Hybrid Experimental Agile Distributed Systems Development Communities" revealing a set of dynamic collaborative practices for those organisational contexts engaged in distributed systems development. The framework will allow them to reflect on their own practice and perhaps foster a similarly dynamic flexible community in order to manage their global software development effort. The research is in the form of an interpretative qualitative exploratory case study, which draws upon Activity Theory, and frames the Grid's distributed development activity as a complex overarching networked activity system influenced by the context, the community's tools, rules, norms, culture, history, past experiences, shared visions and collaborative way of working. Tensions and contradictions throughout the development of this Grid are explored and surfaced, with the research focusing on how these are resolved in order for the activity system to achieve stability. Such stability leads to the construction of new knowledge and learning and the formation of new systems development practices. In studying this, practices are considered as an emergent property linked to improvisation, bricolage and dynamic competences that unfold as large-scale projects evolve

Collaborative yet independent: Information practices in the physical sciences

In many ways, the physical sciences are at the forefront of using digital tools and methods to work with information and data. However, the fields and disciplines that make up the physical sciences are by no means uniform, and physical scientists find, use, and disseminate information in a variety of ways. This report examines information practices in the physical sciences across seven cases, and demonstrates the richly varied ways in which physical scientists work, collaborate, and share information and data. This report details seven case studies in the physical sciences. For each case, qualitative interviews and focus groups were used to understand the domain. Quantitative data gathered from a survey of participants highlights different information strategies employed across the cases, and identifies important software used for research. Finally, conclusions from across the cases are drawn, and recommendations are made. This report is the third in a series commissioned by the Research Information Network (RIN), each looking at information practices in a specific domain (life sciences, humanities, and physical sciences). The aim is to understand how researchers within a range of disciplines find and use information, and in particular how that has changed with the introduction of new technologies

Engendering Virtual Communities of Practice: A Study of a Globally Distributed Grid Development Project

Virtual Communities of practice (VCoP) are seen as an innovative way to manage knowledge, sustain innovation and foster distributed collaborative working. There is therefore an increased interest to take this concept to address today’s global collaboration challenges and it is now believed that organizations can play a critical role in nurturing such communities. Despite this, limited research carried out to date has investigated how VCoP can be cultivated to support distributed collaborative work, particularly within widely distributed and global software development contexts. This paper contributes to this area of research, by adopting the creolization framework, drawing upon the case of the Worldwide Large Hadron Collider computing Grid (WLCG) from the highly distributed and collaborative particle physics community. The paper seeks to offer lessons and recommendations for engendering VCoP

Interventionist grid development projects: a research framework based on three frames

Purpose - This paper considers the collaborative efforts of developing a Grid computing infrastructure within problem-focused, distributed and multi-disciplinary projects – which we term Interventionist Grid Development Projects – involving commercial, academic and public collaborators. Such projects present distinctive challenges which have been neglected by existing eScience research and IS literature. The paper defines a research framework for understanding and evaluating the social, political and collaborative challenges of such projects. Design/methodology/approach - The paper develops a research framework which extends Orlikowski and Gash’s (1994) concept of Technological Frames to consider two additional frames specific to such Grid projects; Bureaucratic Frames and Collaborator Frames. These are used to analyse a case study of a Grid development project within Healthcare which aimed to deploy a European data-Grid of medical images to facilitate collaboration and communication between clinicians across the EU. Findings - That Grids are shaped to a significant degree by the collaborative practices involved in their construction, and that for projects involving commercial and public partners such collaboration is inhibited by the differing interpretive frames adopted by the different relevant groups. Research limitations/implications - The paper is limited by the nature of the Grid development project studied, and the subsequent availability of research subjects. Practical implications - The paper provides those involved in such projects, or in policy around such Grid developments, with a practical framework by which to evaluate collaborations and their impact on the emergent Grid. Further, the paper presents lessons for future such Interventionist Grid projects. Originality/value - This is a new area for research but one which is becoming increasingly important as data-intensive computing begins to emerge as foundational to many collaborative sciences and enterprises. The work builds upon significant literature in eScience and IS drawing into this new domain. The research framework developed here, drawn from the IS literature, begins a new stream of systems development research with a distinct focus on bureaucracy, collaboration and technology within such Interventionist Grid development projects