Tag: Publication

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Why Do Episodic Volunteers Stay in FLOSS Communities? [ICSE 2019]

Abstract: Successful Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects incorporate both habitual and infrequent, or episodic, contributors. Using the concept of episodic volunteering (EV) from the general volunteering literature, we derive a model consisting of five key constructs that we hypothesize affect episodic volunteers’ retention in FLOSS communities. To evaluate the model we conducted a survey and received responses from over 100 FLOSS episodic volunteers. We observe that three of the constructs (social norms, satisfaction and community commitment) are all positively associated with volunteers’ intention to remain, while the two other constructs (psychological sense of community and contributor benefit motivations) are not. Furthermore, exploratory clustering on unobserved heterogeneity suggests that there are four distinct categories of volunteers: satisfied, classic, social and obligated. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions for projects to incorporate and manage episodic volunteers, so as to better leverage this type of contributors and potentially improve projects’ sustainability.

Keywords: Community management, episodic volunteering, open source software, volunteer management

Reference: Barcomb, A., Stol KJ, Riehle, D., & Fitzgerald, B. (2019). Why Do Episodic Volunteers Stay in FLOSS Communities? In Proceedings of the 41st International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2019), pp. 948-959.

The paper is available as a PDF file.

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Uncovering the Periphery: A Qualitative Survey of Episodic Volunteering in Free/Libre and Open Source Software Communities [TSE Journal]

Abstract: Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities are composed, in part, of volunteers, many of whom contribute infrequently. However, these infrequent volunteers contribute to the sustainability of FLOSS projects, and should ideally be encouraged to continue participating, even if they cannot be persuaded to contribute regularly. Infrequent contributions are part of a trend which has been widely observed in other sectors of volunteering, where it has been termed “episodic volunteering” (EV). Previous FLOSS research has focused on the Onion model, differentiating core and peripheral developers, with the latter considered as a homogeneous group. We argue this is too simplistic, given the size of the periphery group and the myriad of valuable activities they perform beyond coding. Our exploratory qualitative survey of 13 FLOSS communities investigated what episodic volunteering looks like in a FLOSS context. EV is widespread in FLOSS communities, although not specifically managed. We suggest several recommendations for managing EV based on a framework drawn from the volunteering literature. Also, episodic volunteers make a wide range of value-added contributions other than code, and they should neither be expected nor coerced into becoming habitual volunteers.

Keywords: Community management, episodic volunteering, free software, open source software, peripheral developer, volunteer management

Reference: Ann Barcomb, Andreas Kaufmann, Dirk Riehle, Klaas-Jan Stol, and Brian Fitzgerald. “Uncovering the Periphery: A Qualitative Survey of Episodic Volunteering in Free/Libre and Open Source Software Communities.” Transactions on Software Engineering, vol. 46, no. 9 (September 2020), pp. 962-980.

The paper can be downloaded as a PDF file.

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User Experience Design in Software Product Lines [HICSS 2019]

Abstract: User experience design is an important part of software product development, and yet software product line engineering has largely ignored this topic. This paper presents a set of industry best practices for user experience design in software product lines. We conducted multiple-case case study research using two different product lines within the multinational company Siemens AG: in a healthcare software division and in an industrial automation software division. We performed a preliminary exploratory study that will serve as a baseline for future research in the design, implementation, and management of user experience design in the context of software product lines. Practitioners can use our findings and the resulting best practices to improve their user experience design, particularly within healthcare and industrial automation software product lines.

Keywords: User experience design, UXD, user interface design, software product lines, SPL, engineering best practices, case study research, handbook method

Reference: Harutyunyan, N., & Riehle, D. (2019). User Experience Design in Software Product Lines. In Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2019), pp. 7503-7512.

The paper is available as a PDF file.

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The QDAcity-RE Method for Structural Domain Modeling Using Qualitative Data Analysis [RE Journal]

Abstract: The creation of domain models from qualitative input relies heavily on experience. An uncodified ad-hoc modeling process is still common and leads to poor documentation of the analysis. In this article we present a new method for domain analysis based on qualitative data analysis. The method helps identify inconsistencies, ensures a high degree of completeness, and inherently provides traceability from analysis results back to stakeholder input. These traces do not have to be documented after the fact, but rather emerge naturally as part of the analysis process. We evaluate our approach using four exploratory studies.

Keywords: Domain modeling, Domain model, Requirements engineering, Requirements elicitation, Qualitative data analysis

Reference: Kaufmann, A., & Riehle, D. (2019). The QDAcity-RE method for structural domain modeling using qualitative data analysis. Requirements Engineering, vol. 24, no. 1 (March 2019), pp. 85-102.

The paper is available as a PDF file.

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The Patch-flow Method for Measuring Inner Source Collaboration [MSR 2018]

Abstract: Inner source (IS) is the use of open source software development (SD) practices and the establishment of an open source-like culture within an organization. IS enables and requires developers to collaborate more than traditional SD methods such as plan-driven or agile development. To better understand IS, researchers and practitioners need to measure IS collaboration. However, there is no method yet for doing so. In this paper, we present a method for measuring IS collaboration by measuring the patch-flow within an organization. Patch-flow is the flow of code contributions across organizational boundaries such as project, organizational unit, or profit center boundaries. We evaluate our patch-flow measurement method using case study research with a software developing multi-industry company. By applying the method in the case organization, we evaluate its relevance and viability and discuss its usefulness. We found that about half (47.9%) of all code contributions constitute patch-flow between organizational units, almost all (42.2%) being between organizational units working on different products. Such significant patch-flow indicates high relevance of the patch-flow phenomenon and hence the method presented in this paper. Our patch-flow measurement method is the first of its kind to measure and quantify IS collaboration. It can serve as a base for further quantitative analyses of IS collaboration.

Keywords: Inner source, internal open source, inner source measurement, patch-flow, open source, open collaboration, software development collaboration measurement, inner source metrics

Reference: Maximilian Capraro, Michael Dorner, and Dirk Riehle. 2018. The Patch-Flow Method for Measuring Inner Source Collaboration. In MSR ’18: 15th International Conference on Mining Software Repositories , May 28–29, 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 11 pages.

A preprint of the paper is available here as a PDF file.

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License Clearance in Software Product Governance [Book Chapter]

I recently participated in an NII Shonan workshop on open source ecosystems. As a follow-up, we are preparing a book of articles. I’m contributing a chapter on “license clearance in software product governance”. Obviously, open source plays an important role. Please find abstract and paper below.

Abstract: Almost all software products today include open source components. However, the obligations that open source licenses put on their users can be difficult or undesirable to comply with [25] [14] [20]. As a consequence, software vendors and related companies need to govern the process by which open source components are included in their products [21] [7]. A key process of such open source governance is license clearance, that is, the process by which a company decides whether a particular component’s license is acceptable for use in its products [19] [4] [15]. In this article, we discuss this process, review the challenges it poses to software vendors and provide unanswered research questions that result from it.

Read the full paper as HTML or as a PDF. The final reference will be announced once the book has been published.

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Inner Source Definition, Benefits, and Challenges [CSUR Journal]

Abstract: Inner Source (IS) is the use of open source software development practices and the establishment of an open source-like culture within organizations. The organization may still develop proprietary software but internally opens up its development. A steady stream of scientific literature and practitioner reports indicates the interest in this research area. However, the research area lacks a systematic assessment of known research work: No model exists that defines IS thoroughly. Various case studies provide insights into IS programs in the context of specific organizations but only few publications apply a broader perspective. To resolve this, we performed an extensive literature survey and analyzed 43 IS related publications plus additional background literature. Using qualitative data analysis methods, we developed a model of the elements that constitute IS. We present a classification framework for IS programs and projects and apply it to lay out a map of known IS endeavors. Further, we present qualitative models summarizing the benefits and challenges of IS adoption. The survey provides the first broad review of IS literature and systematic arrangement of IS research results.

Keywords: Inner source, inner source definition, inner source benefits, inner source challenges

Reference: Capraro, M., & Riehle, D. (2017, February). Inner Source Definition, Benefits, and Challenges. ACM Computing Surveys, vol. 49, no. 4, article 67.

The paper is available as a PDF file.

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An Example Charter for Inner Source Programs [Technical Report]

Abstract: Inner source software development is firm-internal software development that uses the principles of open source software development to collaborate across intra-organizational boundaries that would otherwise hinder any such collaboration. Inner source breaks down the barriers to collaboration across development silos by setting up an internal ecosystem of readily available software components. To get started with inner source, companies need to define their goals and then set up a governance structure for an inner source program and the projects within to reach those goals. This governance structure is often codified in the form of a charter document. This technical report presents an example charter for an inner source program. The goal is for companies to be able to copy and adjust this charter for their own needs. Towards this purpose, the charter leaves open the many decisions to be made, but outlines the options that any company needs to decide upon when establishing an inner source program.

Keywords: Inner source, inner source charter

Reference: Riehle, D. (2016). An Example Charter for Inner Source Programs. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Dept. of Computer Science, Technical Reports, CS-2016-05, August 2016.

The paper is available as a PDF file. (If you would like a DOC version, please get in touch with me.)

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Inner Source in Platform-based Product Engineering [TSE Journal]

Abstract: Inner source is an approach to collaboration across intra-organizational boundaries for the creation of shared reusable assets. Prior project reports on inner source suggest improved code reuse and better knowledge sharing. Using a multiple-case case study research approach, we analyze the problems that three major software development organizations were facing in their product line engineering efforts. We find that a root cause, the separation of product units as profit centers from a platform organization as a cost center, leads to delayed deliveries, increased defect rates, and redundant software components. All three organizations assume that inner source can help solve these problems. The article analyzes the expectations that these companies were having towards inner source and the problems they were experiencing in its adoption. Finally, the article presents our conclusions on how these organizations should adapt their existing engineering efforts.

Keywords: Inner source, inner source foundation, product-line engineering, software platforms, engineering productivity

Reference: Riehle, D., Capraro, M., Kips, D., & Horn, L. (2016). Inner Source in Platform-Based Product Engineering. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering vol. 42, no. 12 (December 2016), 1162-1177.

The paper is available as a PDF file.

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Using Students as a Distributed Coding Team for Validation through Intercoder Agreement [Technical Report]

Abstract: In qualitative research, results often emerge through an analysis process called coding. A common measure of validity of theories built through qualitative research is the agreement between different people coding the same materials. High intercoder agreement indicates that the findings are derived from the data as opposed to being relative results based on the original researcher’s bias. However, measuring such intercoder agreement incurs the high cost of having additional researchers perform seemingly redundant work. In this paper we present first results on a novel method of using students for validating theories. We find that intercoder agreement between a large number of students is almost as good as the intercoder agreement between two professionals working on the same materials.

Keywords: Qualitative Data Analysis, Theory Triangulation, Intercoder Agreement, Distributed Coding, Collective Coding

Reference: Andreas Kaufmann, Ann Barcomb and Dirk Riehle. “Using Students as a Distributed Coding Team for Validation through Intercoder Agreement.” Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Dept. of Computer Science, Technical Reports, CS-2016-01, April 2016.

The paper is available as a local PDF file and also on FAU’s OPUS server.