Identifying the most valuable developers using artifact traceability graphs

Abstract

Finding the most valuable and indispensable developers is a crucial task in software development. We categorize these valuable developers into two categories: connector and maven. A typical connector represents a developer who connects different groups of developers in a large-scale project. Mavens represent the developers who are the sole experts in specific modules of the project. To identify the connectors and mavens, we propose an approach using graph centrality metrics and connections of traceability graphs. We conducted a preliminary study on this approach by using two open source projects: QT 3D Studio and Android. Initial results show that the approach leads to identify the essential developers.