CAREER: A Study of Open Source Software Project Success

PI将开发和测试团队、项目和用户因素对开源软件（OSS）开发成功的影响模型。 将探讨成功的多维概念，包括开发和使用的角度。 提出了以下一般性命题：增强识别和承诺的团队因素吸引和保留开发人员的投入，并促进将投入成功转化为产出;与开发人员动机一致的项目因素吸引开发人员的投入;促进开发人员贡献的协调和组合的项目因素增加了开发投入成功转化为产出;项目因素作为软件有用性和易用性的线索，从而影响用户的兴趣和采用;项目因素与用户因素的一致性影响用户的兴趣和影响;先前采用开放源码软件的积极影响将提高用户对其他开放源码软件产品的兴趣。 这些命题被进一步发展，为可检验的假设提供基础。 将利用以下几个来源收集大量开放源码项目的数据：社区网站（SourceForge.net和Freshmeat.net）、项目主页、项目参与者调查以及案例研究和用户调查。 将在拟议的研究期间监测样本中的项目，以便分析项目间的横向效应和项目内的纵向效应。 作为这一进程的开始，将综合并大大扩展PI先前为完善其理论模型和数据收集战略而开展的三项试点研究中收集的数据。PI希望这项工作将通过提供对开发成功影响的大样本调查，并引入了一个使用的角度来看，成功，一直缺乏在以前的工作。 本研究将利用大量新引进项目的样本，并随着时间的推移对它们进行跟踪，以解决主要研究大型、成功的开放源码软件项目和/或将研究局限于对公开数据进行横截面分析（即，SourceForge数据）。 这项研究结合了开放源码软件网站的公开数据以及调查数据和案例研究，以提供更丰富的成功情况。 在一项研究中考察团队、项目和用户因素，将允许相互作用的影响和不同类型的成功前因的相对重要性的比较。 研究模型是基于新兴的研究OSS和相关的组织研究文献，调查两个因素独特的OSS设置，以及从其他研究的虚拟团队的因素。 预计这项研究不仅有助于我们了解OSS，而且更广泛的研究文献，从该模型的衍生，包括信息系统（IS）文献的虚拟团队和IS的采用和使用。 更广泛的影响：开源软件代表了一种新的创新方式，可能会产生巨大的社会效益。 PI预计，研究结果将使组织能够有效地使用开源软件和开发方法，并将进一步帮助政策制定者确定促进创新的适当手段。 PI将在学术界和工业界广泛传播这项研究的结果。 该项目将通过本科生和研究生参与研究活动直接促进学习;特别是，由于与PI一起进行试点研究的四名学生中有三名是非洲裔美国人（她希望继续与她合作），研究可能会直接增加代表性不足的群体的参与。

The PI will develop and test a model of the influences of team, project, and user factors on success in open source software (OSS) development. A multi-dimensional conceptualization of success will be explored, including both a development and a usage perspective. The following general propositions are developed: Team factors that enhance identification and commitment attract and retain developer input and facilitate the successful conversion of that input into output; Project factors that are aligned with developer motivations attract developer input; Project factors that facilitate the coordination and combination of developer contributions increase the successful conversion of development input into output; Project factors act as cues to usefulness and ease of use of the software, thereby influencing user interest and adoption; The alignment of project factors with user factors influences user interest and impact; Positive impact of prior OSS adoption will enhance user interest in other OSS products. These propositions are further developed to provide the basis for testable hypotheses. Data will be collected on a large sample of open source projects using several sources: community websites (SourceForge.net and Freshmeat.net), project homepages, surveys of project participants, and case studies and surveys of users. Projects in the sample will be monitored over the proposed research period, so that both cross-sectional between-projects effects and longitudinal within-project effects can be analyzed. To start the process, data collected in three pilot studies previously conducted by the PI to refine her theoretical model and data collection strategies will be integrated and significantly expanded.The PI expects this work will advance our knowledge and understanding of OSS as a unique and important phenomenon by providing a large sample investigation of influences on development success, and by introducing a usage perspective on success that has been lacking in prior work. Using a large sample of newly introduced projects and following them over time, this study will complement prior work by addressing limitations that have resulted from studying mainly large, successful OSS projects and/or limiting study to cross-sectional analysis of publicly available data (i.e., SourceForge data). This study combines both publicly available data from OSS websites as well as survey data and case studies, to provide a richer picture of success. Examining team, project, and user factors in a single study will allow for interaction effects and comparison of the relative importance of different kinds of success antecedents. The research model is grounded in emerging research on OSS and relevant organizational research literatures, investigating both factors unique in the OSS setting, as well as factors drawn from other studies of virtual teams. The research is expected to contribute not only to our understanding of OSS, but also to the wider research literatures from which the model is derived, including the information systems (IS) literatures on virtual teams and IS adoption and use. Broader Impacts: Open source software represents a new means of innovation that may have great societal benefits. The PI expects the results of the research will enable organizations to effectively use open source software and development approaches, and will further help policy makers to determine appropriate means for fostering innovation. The PI will widely disseminate the results of this research both in academia and industry. The project will directly promote learning through the participation of undergraduate and graduate students in the study activities; in particular, as three of the four students who worked with the PI on her pilot studies (and who she expect to continue working with her) are African Americans, the research may directly increase the participation of under-represented groups.