Communication Skills in Software Engineering: A Multivocal Review

2026-06-08

AI Summary

Although the importance of communication skills in software engineering is widely acknowledged, existing discussions are scattered across academic and grey literature, lacking systematic integration. This study innovatively employs a multi-voiced literature review methodology to simultaneously synthesize peer-reviewed journal articles and industry reports, thereby offering a comprehensive analysis of how communication skills are conceptualized, valued, and applied in both educational and professional contexts. The findings reveal that both academia and industry regard communication as a core competency: the former emphasizes theoretical frameworks and empirical investigations, while the latter focuses on practical impact and emerging practices. By elucidating areas of consensus and divergence between these two spheres, this work effectively bridges the theory–practice gap and provides an integrated foundation for cultivating communication competencies in software engineering education and professional development.

Abstract

Communication skills are increasingly recognized as essential in Software Engineering, yet discussions about them remain fragmented across academic and gray literature. This fragmentation is problematic because it limits a broader understanding of how communication is valued, taught, and applied in both educational and professional settings. Through a multivocal literature review, we found strong convergence between academic and gray sources in treating communication as a core competency, while also identifying differences in emphasis, with academia focusing on conceptualization and empirical evidence and gray literature stressing practical consequences and emerging industry practices.

Problem

• Communication Skills
• Software Engineering
• Multivocal Literature Review
• Academic and Gray Literature
• Core Competency

Innovation

• multivocal literature review
• communication skills
• software engineering
• gray literature
• core competency