Software Solutions for Newcomers' Onboarding in Software Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

TL;DR

Newcomer onboarding in software projects, especially in OSS, is a critical productivity bottleneck. The authors conducted a Systematic Literature Review of $32$ primary studies up to 2023 to map software-based onboarding solutions, their implementations, evaluation methods, and inclusion concerns. They find a strong emphasis on recommendation systems implemented mainly as web-based tools, addressing process- and interpersonal-related onboarding aspects, but many barriers remain unaddressed, particularly around communication, documentation, and cognitive diversity. Evaluation is predominantly conducted in laboratory settings, with limited real-world deployments and few studies focused on diversity and inclusion. The study highlights opportunities for more inclusive, practice-oriented tools and suggests future work including the use of large language models to enhance onboarding.

Abstract

[Context] Newcomers joining an unfamiliar software project face numerous barriers; therefore, effective onboarding is essential to help them engage with the team and develop the behaviors, attitudes, and skills needed to excel in their roles. However, onboarding can be a lengthy, costly, and error-prone process. Software solutions can help mitigate these barriers and streamline the process without overloading senior members. [Objective] This study aims to identify the state-of-the-art software solutions for onboarding newcomers. [Method] We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to answer six research questions. [Results] We analyzed 32 studies about software solutions for onboarding newcomers and yielded several key findings: (1) a range of strategies exists, with recommendation systems being the most prevalent; (2) most solutions are web-based; (3) solutions target a variety of onboarding aspects, with a focus on process; (4) many onboarding barriers remain unaddressed by existing solutions; (5) laboratory experiments are the most commonly used method for evaluating these solutions; and (6) diversity and inclusion aspects primarily address experience level. [Conclusion] We shed light on current technological support and identify research opportunities to develop more inclusive software solutions for onboarding. These insights may also guide practitioners in refining existing platforms and onboarding programs to promote smoother integration of newcomers into software projects.

Figures (3)

• Figure 1: Search and selection process describing the number of studies selected in each stage: $\circledS$: studies | $\surd$: included | $\times$: excluded.
• Figure 2: Publication years and relevant paper counts.
• Figure 3: Keywords word cloud.