from work to word

FromWorktoWord:HowDoSo/ware

DevelopersDescribeTheirWork?

WalidMaalej,TechnischeUniversitätMünchen

Hans‐JörgHappel,FZIResearchCenterKarlsruhe

©W.Maalej,Mai09 2

Outline

ConclusionandNextSteps

ResearchSeKng

Research Results

MoMvaMon

2

1

3

4

FromWorkToWord

©W.Maalej,Mai09

WHYDoDevelopersDescribeTheirWork?

FromWorkToWord 3

PurposesofWorkDescripMon

1

2

3

4

RaMonaleCapture

Controlling

ReflecMon&ExperienceCapture

StatusAwareness

•  RememberstatuswhenconGnuingpostponedwork

•  CaptureexperiencesonproblemsandtheirsoluGons•  Logdecisionsandwhytheyhavebeentaken

inthisparGcularway

•  Reasonaboutpreviousdecisionsbyreading

theworkdescripGons

•  ReportworkdoneinaperiodofGme

•  Controleffortandcost(e.g.foraddingonefeature)

•  Helpcollaboratorsindistributedprojectsto

knowaboutthestatus

ofwork

•  Provideashort,human

readablesummaryof

changes

©W.Maalej,Mai09

WHEREDoDevelopersDescribeTheirWork?

FromWorkToWord 4

TimesheetSocialmedia

IssuereportcommentsCommitmessage ArMfactsincludingwork

descripMons

Personalnote

But:How dodevelopersdescribework?ThisisthegoalofourexploraMvestudy

©W.Maalej,Mai09 5

Outline

ConclusionandNextSteps

ResearchSeKng

Research Results

MoMvaMon

2

1

3

4

FromWorkToWord

©W.Maalej,Mai09

Content Analysis Time Metadata

OurResearchQuesMonsOnWorkDescripMon

  SessionduraMonanddescripGonfrequency

  LoggingdayMmeandrelaGontodescripGonquality

  PseudodescripGons,onlyGmemetadata

  Requiredeffort

FromWorkToWord 6

  Vocabularyusage,similariGesandtermsfrequency

  WorkcategoriesandproporGonofacGviGes

  DescripGonpa_ernsandcommontemplates

  ReferencedarGfacts

©W.Maalej,Mai09

DataSetsCollectedinDifferentContexts

Dataset Summary Numberofdevelopers

NumberofdescripMons

Representedperiod

MyCompDevelopers’GmecardsinaGermansoWwarecompany

25 38,0458years(2001–2009)

ApacheCommitmessagesofallApacheprojects

1,949 747,40315years(1994–2009)

Eureka

Subjects‘personalnotesinafieldstudywith5Europeancompanies

21 11510days(2008)

FromWorkToWord 7

©W.Maalej,Mai09 8

Outline

ConclusionandNextSteps

Research Results

MoMvaMon

2

1

3

4

FromWorkToWord

©W.Maalej,Mai09

VocabularyUsageandTermFrequency

WorkdescripMonsextensivelyinclude:

•  NegaMveformulaMons

•  JusMficaMonsandargumentaMons

•  Problemsthatcausedthework

FromWorkToWord 9

Rank Term Mycomp German Apache Eureka English

Not 2 17 4 1 29

For/ Since 7 184 23 212 906

Change 3 911 26 214 333

Review 1 >10,000 13 - 2,275

Problem 24 461 10 9 239

Now 12 576 14 58 808

Done 17 4,454 300 59 606

©W.Maalej,Mai09

DescribedCategoriesofWork

FromWorkToWord 10

•  NotonlyacMviMes“withworkproducts”aredescribed•  Granularityismore“ediMng‐”ratherthanacMvity‐oriented

©W.Maalej,Mai09

WorkDescripMonPa_erns

FromWorkToWord 11

Pa#ern ::= <Ac-on> 'concerning' | 'performed on' <Ar-fact> 'for'|'since'|'because' <Cause descrip-on>|<Reference to cause> 

Pa#ern ::= <Ar-fact> 'works now' 

Pa#ern ::= 'Problem'|'Bug' <Reference to issue>|<Problem descrip-on> 'fixed'|'solved' <Solu-on> ['reviewed with' <Colleague>] 

Pa#ern ::= 'If' <Context> 'then' <Experience> 

1.ArgumentaMonPa_erns

2.StatusPa_erns

3.ExperienceSharingPa_erns

©W.Maalej,Mai09

CreaMonTimeandSessionDuraMon

FromWorkToWord 12

•  DelayeddescripMonsareshorterthanimmediateones

•  ThemeanofsessionduraMonsisbetween30and90min.

•  Developersenteredbetween8and12descripMonsperworkday

©W.Maalej,Mai09

WorkDescripMonQualityandEffort

FromWorkToWord 13

•  Developersdon’thaveMmeormoMvaMontodescribe10%ofthesessions

•  3–6%ofdeveloperMmeisspentfordescribingwork(30min./day)

10%ofpseudodescripMons

©W.Maalej,Mai09 14

Outline

ConclusionandNextSteps

ResearchSeKng

Research Results

MoMvaMon

2

1

3

4

FromWorkToWord

©W.Maalej,Mai09 PotenMalsandChallengesofRSinSD 15

SummaryoftheTalk

Weconductedanexploratorystudyonhowdevelopersdescribetheirworkusingrealworlddata

1

Aconsiderableamountofeffortisspenttodescribework,withoWenemptyorpseudo‐descripGons:automaGonwouldpayoff

2

WefoundsimilariGesindescripGoncontents:partofthedescripGoncanbeautomatedbyobservinginteracMons

3

WefoundsimilariGesintheMmemetadata:theworkdaycanbesessionizedautomaGcally

4

©W.Maalej,Mai09 PotenMalsandChallengesofRSinSD 16

OpenSourcePlaqorm:TeamWeaver

www.teamweaver.org

©W.Maalej,Mai09 FromWorkToWord 17

©W.Maalej,Mai09

Youarewelcometojoin!Contact:

FromWorkToWord 18

Hans‐JörgHappelFZI

happel@fzi.de

WalidMaalejTUM

maalejw@cs.tum.edu