[OSGeo-Discuss] Open Source development metrics

[P Kishor]

On 5/28/08, Bruce.Bannerman at dpi.vic.gov.au
<Bruce.Bannerman at dpi.vic.gov.au> wrote:
>
> IMO:
>
>
> An issue has come up recently on the OSGeo-AustNZ list that I'd appreciate
> some feedback from our wider OSGeo Community.
>
>
> The context of this issue is that we are exploring ways to support
> development of the GeoNetwork ANZLIC Profile.
>
> In particular, we're looking at options that allow permanent staff to
> contribute to ongoing OS development work outside of normal Project based
> development with its well defined deliverables and timeframes.
>
>
>
>  In Australia within the public sector and also in many larger private
> organisations there is a Human Resources process in place that is based on
> Performance Management. This process allows either staff or managers to
> initiate discussions that allow for goal based work to be undertaken.
>
> In principal both parties agree to a set of goals. If the goals are met, it
> contributes to the employee's remuneration review.
>
>
>  What I'm trying to find are some examples of generic metrics that are
> meaninful to Open Source development methodologies. They must be
>  specific, meaningful and measurable.
>
>
> For example, we could look at measures such as:
>
>
>  "Get feature X accepted into the trunk of GeoNetwork by June 2009"
>
>
> However this is probably unrealistic  as to do this the developer will have
> to have existing credibility within the community and there may be good
> reasons why the community does not want to have 'product X' included.
>


Actually, a variation on the above may be the best metric -- "create
feature X that we need in our organization and that works for us."
That would allow your organization to determine what is meaningful for
your organization first and for open source second. In other words,
you would treat open source development no different from non-open
source development. Open source would simply become a "normal"
activity.

Once feature X works for you, you could consider "donating" it to the
open source community by whatever process that particular open source
project has.

Other metrics such as SLOC (source lines of code) or "feature in SVN
trunk" are not only subject to abuse, they are also mostly
meaningless.



>
> Does anyone have any examples that they use or thoughts on the above?
>
>
> I do understand that metrics can be abused, may be meaningless and may not
> be the best way to handle this, however we have to start somewhere.
>
>
>
>  We have a window of opportunity to get some more developers working on OS
> projects as the Performance Planning cycle re-starts shortly and I'd like to
> help our developers get some constructive ideas to take into their sessions.
>
>
>
>
> Bruce Bannerman
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Puneet Kishor http://punkish.eidesis.org/
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) http://www.osgeo.org/