Journal of Global Information Management, 20(2), 1-24, April-June 2012 1 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Keywords: Coordination, Global Software Development, Information Processing, Information Technology, Uncertainties INTRODUCTION Coordination of human activities has been both a longstanding and important issue in Organi- zational and Information Systems (IS) research streams. Defined as “managing interdependen- cies between activities” (Malone & Crowston, 1994), its importance has persisted even as the co-evolution of organizational behavior and information technology has resulted in different work configurations over the years. One of these configurations is globally distributed work or virtual teamwork which manifests in particular forms such as global software development (GSD) (Carmel, 1999; Kotlarsky & Oshri, 2005). The importance of GSD coordination research is due to issues such as the complex nature of software development itself (Brooks, 1987), the influential role of distance (Olson & Olson, 2000), the frequency of information exchanges among developers (Herbsleb & Global Software Development and the Problem of Increased Uncertainties: Information Processing Requirements for Coordination Gamel O. Wiredu, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Ghana ABSTRACT In global software development (GSD) work confgurations, distance, task, and interaction technologies are sources of uncertainties that combine to challenge traditional information processing requirements for coordi- nation. However, in previous research, GSD coordination is explained in terms other than uncertainties. Thus, how the problem of increased uncertainties in coordination can be understood remains a puzzle. This paper studies how a team of developers in the USA and Ireland managed the diverse and emergent uncertainties it faced. The main information processing requirements for coordination whose relationships are modeled are (1) structuring task components according to location; (2) selecting people according to their task-resolving qualities; (3) exploiting their distance-bridging qualities; and (4) supporting them with diverse interaction technologies. By this modeling, the paper extends information processing requirements for GSD coordination beyond mere support for interactions and structuring of task components that are prevalent in the literature. DOI: 10.4018/jgim.2012040101