Krinkle krinklemail@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.