Abstract :
[en] Development bots are increasingly used in Open Source Software (OSS) projects on social coding platforms like GitHub to automate tasks, enforce coding standards, and streamline communication. Studies of specific bots highlighted their influence on the software development process, both positively, by automating repetitive tasks and improving efficiency, and negatively, by introducing challenges such as workflow disruptions or excessive notifications. This research proposal provides an overview of my research context, goals, and current research progress. My research focuses on the roles of contributors during collaborative OSS development and the effects of development bots on such collaboration. The primary goals are to (i) understand the evolving roles and interactions of contributors and (ii) assess how bots affect productivity, efficiency, and communication. By investigating GitHub activities such as pull requests, issue tracking, and code reviews, I will classify contributors and study their communication patterns. By comparing projects that utilize bots with those that do not, I will assess the impact of bots on key aspects of team dynamics, such as collaboration frequency, decision-making efficiency, and role distribution among contributors. The analysis will focus on measurable outcomes, including the speed of pull request reviews, the number of successfully merged code changes, and the rate of issue resolution. Additionally, I will examine how the presence of bots affects long-term contributor engagement and overall project velocity. This research will provide insights into human-bot interactions, develop guidelines for effective bot design, and suggest strategies to enhance contributor integration and communication, ultimately improving OSS project success.
