Resumen
In this article, authors explore cultural practices in managing heterogeneity within system design. Building software is about making links between a multiplicity of objects, practices and commitments via imagery, metaphors and descriptions, that translate different views of the artifact-in-development. They explore some of the practices that make the accommodation of multiple places and views within a software development team possible, as well as the limitations of some of these practices. They examined how the trade-offs between multiplicity and standardization are managed within software development teams. They argue here that such practices reflect the contingent nature of task but also multiplicity of places and voices. It is empirically grounded in different case studies of design practice, discussed within the Software Cultures framework. Two cases, the Landscape Architecture Case and the Danish Radio Case are referred to support their notion that heterogeneity is inherently important in understanding software development. Although these cases are small, they took place in a distributed environment of team each offering a different view on multiplicity and standardization.