Informed Consent Form
Study Metadata
Title of the Study:
The Ripple Effects of Role Transitions and Reorganizations in Software Development Organizations
Principal Investigator(s):
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Baltes (University of Bayreuth, Germany)
Prof. Dr. Daniel Graziotin (University of Hohenheim, Germany)
Contact Person for Queries:
Name: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Baltes
Email: sebastian.baltes@uni-bayreuth.de
Address:
University of Bayreuth
Professorship of Software Engineering
95440 Bayreuth, Germany
Purpose and Procedures
We invite you to participate in a research study that explores role transitions and reorganizations of employees in software development roles. Participation in this study involves completing an online questionnaire that will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how role transitions and reorganizations impact employees in development roles and their teams. Results from this study will be published in a research paper. Participants may optionally provide their email address to receive a preprint of the paper or to volunteer for follow-up interviews. Participation is voluntary, and your responses will remain anonymous unless you choose to provide your email address.
Benefits, Discomfort, and Risks
Participation in this study may contribute to advancing scientific knowledge about organizational changes in software development. The questionnaire contains no questions or topics that are expected to cause discomfort. Risks related to participation are negligible.
Use and Sharing of Personal Data
Purpose of Data Processing: Your data will be used to analyze the effects of role transitions and reorganizations and their ripple effects on employees, teams, and software development practices.
Recipients of Personal Data:
- Anonymized responses will be analyzed by the researchers involved in this study.
- Aggregated, anonymized data will be released as open data in a publicly accessible repository when the research paper is published.
- Optionally provided email addresses at the end of the questionnaire will only be used to share survey results or to invite participants for follow-up interviews. They will not be shared with anyone outside the research team.
Retention of Personal Data:
- Anonymized Data: Retained internally for at least 10 years as per research data management guidelines.
- Aggregated, Anonymized Open Data: Permanently available in a publicly accessible repository after the data analysis is completed.
- Email Addresses (optional): Retained internally until the publication of the research paper and conclusion of follow-up interviews, after which they will be permanently deleted.
Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your participation and personal data:
- Access, Rectification, and Erasure: You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your data.
- Restriction and Objection: You may restrict or object to the processing of your data.
- Withdrawal of Consent: You may withdraw your consent at any time without providing an explanation.
- Request Data Deletion: You may request deletion of your data, including anonymized responses, up to one month after participation.
Reach out to the contact person for this research project, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Baltes (sebastian.baltes@uni-bayreuth.de) in case you want to make use of these rights. Please note that, once anonymized, it will be impossible to retrieve your data.
Compensation
No compensation is offered for participation in this study.
Consent Statement
By completing the questionnaire, you confirm that you have read and understood the above information and agree to participate in this study. You also confirm that you understand your rights as a participant. If you have questions or concerns about the study, you may contact the researchers using the details provided above.
Thank you for your participation!