Krinkle <krinklemail(a)gmail.com> writes:
TL;DR: Reduce number of fields in our BugZilla.
Simplify access to
search filters.
I talked for a bit about this with Krinkle today. I think part of the
problem with the complexity of the fields (and, yes, Bugzilla fields are
too complicated) comes from the different roles people have when they
come to Bugzilla. Making Bugzilla work for everyone means a bit of
complexity. Work can certainly be done on the UI to help alleviate
this, but I think understanding the different perspectives is a first
step to working on the UI.
I see three different ways of looking at the data in Bugzilla:
Developer -- What can I work on right now? What is the next think on my
list of TODOs? Where can I put items that need to be worked on
later?
Director/Manager -- What set of work needs to get done before my next
release? What is blocking my next deliverable? For feature X, what
are the different things that need to be implemented?
End User/Bugmeister -- How can I report current problems? Where can I
track progress on the resolution of a problem I'm interested in?
How can I make sure people with the power to fix the problem are
aware of its severity and impact?
With these three views of Bugzilla in mind the Developer is going to be
looking for the next action item.
The Developer works with the Director to help the Director develop
reasonable timelines. Bugzilla's Milestones and the priority within a
Milestone are especially suited for this.
The Director looks at the features that the team needs to deliver and
the issues the Bugmeister has raised and works to prioritize the issues
relative to the project.
The Bugmeister looks at incoming bug reports (both in Bugzilla and on
Village Pumps) and makes sure that urgent issues are addressed quickly,
while less urgent issues are properly prioritized. The Bugmeister does
not set schedules or deliverables, but needs a way to raise issues and
act as an advocate for the End User. The priority and severity fields
are especially suited for this.
I do think the UI of Bugzilla needs work and I plan to begin addressing
some of the issues this week. But I also think there is a good reason
to track the data that is tracked.
--
Mark A. Hershberger
Bugmeister
Wikimedia Foundation
mah(a)wikimedia.org