Issue Response Time
Question: How much time passes between the opening of an issue and a response in the issue thread from another contributor?
Overview
This metric measures the time taken for an issue to receive its first response from a contributor other than the author. Issue response time is a key indicator of a project’s responsiveness and its ability to engage contributors. A fast response time can indicate a healthy, active community, while longer response times may highlight potential issues in managing community contributions.
Tracking issue response time is valuable for assessing the effectiveness of communication and collaboration in a project. It also helps project maintainers understand their capacity to address contributor needs and provide support. This metric can also inform Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts by indicating whether responses vary depending on the type of contributor (e.g., new contributors vs. long-time participants).
Want to Know More?
Data Collection Strategies
- Look at the Issues New metric for a definition of “issues.”
- Collect timestamps for when issues are opened and when the first response (by a different contributor) is posted.
- Exclude responses by the issue author, and focus on responses from other contributors.
Filters
- By Role: Filter responses based on the role of the responder (e.g., maintainer or other contributors).
- By Bot vs. Human: Exclude automated responses or bot-generated messages.
- By Issue Opener's Role: Track responses based on whether the issue was opened by a new contributor or a long-time participant.
- By Date: Filter issues by their creation date.
- By Issue Status: Option to focus only on currently open issues.
Visualizations
References
None specified
Contributors
None specified
Additional Information
- To edit this metric please submit a Change Request here.
- To reference this metric in software or publications, please use this stable URL: https://chaoss.community/?p=3631.
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