Analyzing the BizDev interface in an enterprise context: a case of developers acting in business

Context Currently, organizations seek to evolve software engineering methodologies targeting a wider and healthier collaboration among their functional areas. In this context, the interface between business and development (BizDev) includes all the interactions between Information Technology and business areas within an organization. Although we have been observing a small number of studies about this interface, we still consider the area lacks deeper characterization and deserves analysis in more diverse contexts. Goal We aimed to understand how the BizDev interface works under enterprise and innovative contexts, raising information on roles, responsibilities, and practices in the interface. Method We conducted a case study in a Brazilian company through the application of semi-structured interviews with fifteen people from both technology and business areas. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and further analyzed using Grounded Theory procedures, namely the open, axial, and selective coding phases. Finally, the synthesis was validated with participants. Results Not only we obtained relevant information on roles, responsibilities, and practices in the BizDev interface, but we also identified a phenomenon in which IT people acted in business. We observed development analysts and leaders working on defining and prioritizing requirements, analyzing business indicators, and presenting feature propositions. Also, the organizational culture strongly influenced this behavior through the sense of ownership and meritocracy. This performance is also characterized as data-driven, with IT people constantly extracting metrics and using them to validate and justify their work in business. Conclusion The organizational culture and the open BizDev communication were the main motivators and support for IT people to act in business. Despite the positive results, developers also delivered features that harmed some business aspects. Therefore, while we advocate organizations should review their organizational values and culture to motivate this behavior, we suggest that guidance from the business area is necessary, introducing measures to prevent business decisions from being made solely by the IT area.