In this paper, we present the preliminary findings from a qualitative study (i.e., semi-structured interviews) on how a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, carried out in the Software Development (SD) working context, is perceived by the software developers of a multinational company who participated in the MBSR program and by the instructor who led it. MBSR is a deeply personal and experiential practice in helping individuals manage stress, particularly in high-pressure environments such as workplaces, healthcare settings, education, and other demanding professional or personal situations. Although MBSR has been experimented in different working contexts; surprisingly, it has never been studied in the SD working context where there are several stress factors that developers experience (e.g., time pressure and uncertainty about the content of a particular task and its outcome). In this respect, qualitative research can generate valuable insights into the application of MBSR in the SD working context that cannot be captured by standardized quantitative measures. Being MBSR instructors and software developers the key stakeholders in delivering an MBSR program in the SD working context, understanding their first-hand experiences can provide a more detailed picture of the investigated phenomenon. The most important takeaway result of our research can be summarized as follows: despite initial skepticism, the developers recognized personal improvements due to the MBSR practice, though the integration of MBSR techniques in the working context remained challenging.

Peopleware, which includes anything related to the role of people in Software Development (SD), has been arousing an increasing interest from both the software industry and research community. This interest is due to the current economic system that demands high-quality software products with a short time to market, staying on the budget. This exposes software developers to the risk of experiencing stress, burnout, and reduced motivation, leading, in turn, to reduced job performance, low-quality SD-related artifacts, and increased turnover. Mindfulness represents a promising intervention that might let developers do their best at work, limiting or even preventing the previously mentioned negative outcomes. This paper presents MOOD (Mindfulness fOr sOftware Developers), a research project whose overarching goal is to customize a well-known and validated group-based intervention program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), in the context of SD-related tasks and assess whether it helps developers to improve their well-being and performance, as well as the quality of the SD-related artifacts they produce.