Coordination Dynamics in Free/Libre Open Source Software Development Andrea Wiggins Syracuse University iSchool 3 June, 2009

Introduction Coordination comprises activities through which interdependencies are managed Key challenge for decentralized, independent virtual work, but FLOSS seems to do this well A variety of mechanisms are used to reduce interdependencies

Coordination comprises activities through which interdependencies are managed

Key challenge for decentralized, independent virtual work, but FLOSS seems to do this well

A variety of mechanisms are used to reduce interdependencies

Motivation Coordination in virtual teams poses different challenges from face-to-face Coordination mechanisms are not applied in isolation, but employed in combination as coordination strategies May represent common good solutions to general organizing problems in FLOSS Stages of development likely to affect dynamics of coordination strategies

Coordination in virtual teams poses different challenges from face-to-face

Coordination mechanisms are not applied in isolation, but employed in combination as coordination strategies

May represent common good solutions to general organizing problems in FLOSS

Stages of development likely to affect dynamics of coordination strategies

General Research Question How does project growth affect the social and technical structuring of work through coordination strategies ? Project growth has multiple aspects: code & community Coordination is achieved through multiple social and technical mechanisms

How does project growth affect the social and technical structuring of work through coordination strategies ?

Project growth has multiple aspects: code & community

Coordination is achieved through multiple social and technical mechanisms

Specific Research Question How do the dynamics of the relationship between the size of the core committer group and the size of the code base affect technical coordination through code modularity and social coordination through self-assignment to tasks in community-based FLOSS projects ? Growth : core committer group and code base size Coordination : code modularity, self-assignment Process : dynamics Population : community-based FLOSS projects

How do the dynamics of the relationship between the size of the core committer group and the size of the code base affect technical coordination through code modularity and social coordination through self-assignment to tasks in community-based FLOSS projects ?

Growth : core committer group and code base size

Coordination : code modularity, self-assignment

Process : dynamics

Population : community-based FLOSS projects

Conceptual Framework P1: As size of code base and core committer group increase, code modularity increases. P2: As size of code base and core committer group increase, self-assignment to tasks increases. P3: As code modularity increases, self-assignment to tasks increases.

P1: As size of code base and core committer group increase, code modularity increases.

P2: As size of code base and core committer group increase, self-assignment to tasks increases.

P3: As code modularity increases, self-assignment to tasks increases.

Methodology Longitudinal multiple case study methodology using mixed methods Correlational analysis on archival data Qualitative narratives of coordination dynamics, drawn from content analysis Replication and extension of Crowston et al. 2005 Effort required for manual content analysis constrains sample size

Longitudinal multiple case study methodology using mixed methods

Correlational analysis on archival data

Qualitative narratives of coordination dynamics, drawn from content analysis

Replication and extension of Crowston et al. 2005

Effort required for manual content analysis constrains sample size

Case Selection Community-based projects Same type of software Moderately complex One primary package Data available in repositories No continuous release cycle projects Minimum 10 developers, 18 months of data, 3 releases

Community-based projects

Same type of software

Moderately complex

One primary package

Data available in repositories

No continuous release cycle projects

Minimum 10 developers, 18 months of data, 3 releases

Data Observation sampling of developer email lists 3 weeks before and 1 week after each release: minimum 12 weeks of email/case Email is a primary communication venue, can apply an established coding schema Project statistics - FLOSSmole & SRDA Code metrics - FLOSSmetrics

Observation sampling of developer email lists

3 weeks before and 1 week after each release: minimum 12 weeks of email/case

Email is a primary communication venue, can apply an established coding schema

Project statistics - FLOSSmole & SRDA

Code metrics - FLOSSmetrics

Analysis Content analysis according to established schema, compare findings to prior results Test correlational measures of scale of coordination effort Qualitative narratives of coordination dynamics: contextualize simple measures in evolving work practices

Content analysis according to established schema, compare findings to prior results

Test correlational measures of scale of coordination effort

Qualitative narratives of coordination dynamics: contextualize simple measures in evolving work practices

Validity Case selection bias improved by purposive sampling for success Potential for measurement error from project statistics and code metrics Simplistic but direct operationalizations Limited sample restricts generalizability Plan to test semi-automated coding to increase scale of content analysis

Case selection bias improved by purposive sampling for success

Potential for measurement error from project statistics and code metrics

Simplistic but direct operationalizations

Limited sample restricts generalizability

Plan to test semi-automated coding to increase scale of content analysis

Expected Contributions Advance process theory to explain coordination strategies as an outcome of scale and interdependency of work Reproduce and extend prior work: Implement dynamic analysis of multiple coordination mechanisms Evaluate claims of relationship between community size, code structure, work

Advance process theory to explain coordination strategies as an outcome of scale and interdependency of work

Reproduce and extend prior work: Implement dynamic analysis of multiple coordination mechanisms

Evaluate claims of relationship between community size, code structure, work

Outstanding Issues Scale of content analysis Semi-automated coding may help Case selection - comparable software Other coordination mechanisms Cannot control for them in case selection May emerge as important factors Code modularity/complexity Limitation of single package software

Scale of content analysis

Semi-automated coding may help

Case selection - comparable software

Other coordination mechanisms

Cannot control for them in case selection

May emerge as important factors

Code modularity/complexity

Limitation of single package software

Completed activities Candidacy exams: December 4, 2009 Proposal defense: no earlier than May 2010 Different dissertation topic is likely Massive virtual collaboration in citizen science This study will be post-PhD work

Candidacy exams: December 4, 2009

Proposal defense: no earlier than May 2010

Different dissertation topic is likely

Massive virtual collaboration in citizen science

This study will be post-PhD work

Thanks! [email_address] .edu www.andreawiggins.com floss.syr.edu www.flosshub.org

[email_address] .edu

www.andreawiggins.com

floss.syr.edu

www.flosshub.org