Understanding Technical Debt in the Software Development Lifecycle of Open Source Software

This research explores technical debt’s impact on open-source software (OSS) develop- ment flow. Building upon prior work evaluating flow metrics in large-scale open-source projects, the investigation will quantify the influence of defect-related metrics, partic- ularly in OSS development teams. Despite the unconventional nature of open-source projects, they share common challenges with agile development, especially regarding quality. The research sheds light on the transformative potential of effectively reducing technical debt in open-source software by analyzing how OSS teams address technical debt. The contribution of this work is an understanding of the impact of technical debt, leading to an improved development flow, an increased project pace, heightened quality, and a proactive approach to technical debt, ultimately fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence in the global software development ecosystem.