Defect Management Practices and Problems in Free/Open Source Software Projects

With the advent of Free/Open Source Software (F/OSS) paradigm, a large number of projects are evolving that make use of F/OSS infrastructure and development practices. Defect Management System is an important component in F/OSS infrastructure which maintains defect records as well as tracks their status. The defect data comprising more than 60,000 defect reports from 20 F/OSS Projects is analyzed from various perspectives, with special focus on evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness in resolving defects and determining responsiveness towards users. Major problems and inefficiencies encountered in Defect Management among F/OSS Projects have been identified. A process is proposed to distribute roles and responsibilities among F/OSS participants which can help F/OSS Projects to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Defect Management and hence assure better quality of F/OSS Projects