Sending Out a Software Operation Summary: Leveraging Software Operation Knowledge for Prioritization of Maintenance Tasks

Knowledge of in-the-field software operation is acquired by many software-producing organizations nowadays. While vendors are effective in acquiring large amounts of valuable software operation information, many are lacking methods to improve their software processes with such information. In this paper, we attempt to improve the software maintenance process by proposing a software operation summary: an overview of a vendor's recent in-the-field software operation, designed to support software processes by providing software operation knowledge. Particularly, we strive to improve prioritization of software maintenance tasks by fostering the reach of consensus between involved employees on such prioritization. Through an extensive survey among product software vendors in the Netherlands, we confirm the need for a software operation summary, and identify which crash report data are considered relevant as a basis for the summary when it is used for prioritization of software maintenance tasks. By means of a case study at a European software vendor, a software operation summary composed using crash report data is empirically evaluated. Results confirm the lack of consensus experienced between engineers and managers, and illustrate the value of the summary in fostering reach of consensus between employee roles, particularly in preparation of sprint planning and bug fixing activities.