Project Proposal: Bugzilla Adoption

Prepared by: Andrew Sharp

April 21, 2008Executive Summary

Objective

Software development needs an issue tracking tool that serves their needs: convenient, tracks issues well, open platform, highly configurable/customizable, able to summarize and export statistical data.

Goals

Reallocate money currently wasted on a feature-poor issue tracking tool while simultaneously eliminating access limitations due to seat license restrictions.

Solution

Migrate our defect database from Clearquest to Bugzilla.

Challenges

Overcoming fear of change.

Problem

The issue tracking tool we now use is weak, ineffective, and costs a bunch of money.

• No email gateway

• No integration with our SCM tool (Perforce)

• User limit often makes crucial tool inaccessible, and executives and others cannot view bugs or report data because they are not crucial users and therefore do not have accounts.

• Individuals cannot select what email notifications they receive.

• Query interface is horrible - useable but horrible

• Tabulated interface for bugs is just sad in this day and age. Some “pages” have only one or two fields on them.

• Multiple text fields (4? 5? 6?) per bug, making it pretty hard to search for a string in a bug.

• Can view only one bug at a time.

• Cannot email URLs for bug lists or bugs to others without making them log in first

• Replicating the database is an expensive option

Solution

Replace this expensive dog with a free thoroughbred - Bugzilla

• Email gateway is key to turning issue tracking tool into an indispensable knowledge base for Development and QA engineers, allowing data entry to bugs simply by replying to an email.

• Bugzilla has no user limit: it is open to the entire company, and costs nothing.

• Query results, individual bugs, virtually anything can be emailed to another user with a single click of the mouse. No longer does a manager have to call a meeting to ask “How close are we to having a viable release candidate?” Someone can send him/her an email with the query results that clearly show the answer to such a question, with just a wave of their mouse.

• MySQL (the back end database) can be set up to replicate, making our data extra safe, and again, costs nothing.

• Query interface is so intuitive, I’ve seen executives use it. Queries that might take you 15 minutes to construct in CQ, and only if you are a stone expert, take mere seconds in Bugzilla.

• Only one text field, so queries for a string are straight forward: you query for the string in the Notes field, instead of constructing a difficult query that looks for the text string optionally in one of 5 or 6 fields, but at least one of the fields.

• All fields on one page/tab for easy viewing.

• User can have as many bugs displayed in as many browser windows as she likes. No restrictions.

• Massive worldwide user base allows for better support, help, access to extensions and customizations, bug fixes and patches than any proprietary company ever possibly could.

• Because it’s open source, we can customize it to our heart’s content, which is a very good thing.

Importing Data from CQ to Bugzilla

1. Configuring Bugzilla: one person can sit down and configure Bugzilla to conform to our requirements and enter initial data including bug categories, products and so on. The email gateway configuration work will also happen at this time. 1 week.

2. A small team of 2-3 would be put in charge of migrating the data from the Clearquest database to Bugzilla. This is a relatively common process, but not without it’s intricacies. Should take about 1-2 weeks overall.

3. Beta trial period. 1 week, by selected users, to make sure that everything is working as desired.