This paper offers a view of communication networks in which professionals are connected via knowledge flows and communication processes. The discussion focuses on a case study of software business processes in two small‑ size Finnish software companies. The paper has two objectives. First, it assesses the knowledge flow model as a tool that can be used for developing knowledge‑intensive services. Second, it offers a new way of seeing a software project from a communication and knowledge flow perspective.

This paper is an exploration of knowledge work practices in a distributed software development setting. The author has undertaken an empirical study in the Irish subsidiary of a multinational company over a 16‑month period. Our methods were inspired by ethnography; by spending an extended period of time with a software development team working on a specific project, we had the opportunity to observe real work practices in a real work setting in the specific circumstances of distributed work. The purpose of the current study is to highlight the ways in which technical and social factors are inextricably entwined in distributed work settings.