An Empirical Study of Bots in Software Development -- Characteristics and Challenges from a Practitioner's Perspective

Abstract: Software engineering bots - automated tools that handle tedious tasks - are increasingly used by industrial and open source projects to improve developer productivity. Current research in this area is held back by a lack of consensus of what software engineering bots (DevBots) actually are, what characteristics distinguish them from other tools, and what benefits and challenges are associated with DevBot usage. In this paper we report on a mixed-method empirical study of DevBot usage in industrial practice. We report on findings from interviewing 21 and surveying a total of 111 developers. We identify three different personas among DevBot users (focusing on autonomy, chat interfaces, and "smartness"), each with different definitions of what a DevBot is, why developers use them, and what they struggle with. We conclude that future DevBot research should situate their work within our framework, to clearly identify what type of bot the work targets, and what advantages practitioners can expect. Further, we find that there currently is a lack of general purpose "smart" bots that go beyond simple automation tools or chat interfaces. This is problematic, as we have seen that such bots, if available, can have a transformative effect on the projects that use them.

• The paper empirically studies software development bots from practitioners' views, identifying personas and linking characteristics, benefits, and challenges.
• Benefits involve increased productivity varying by persona, while challenges are persona-dependent, focusing on usability (Chat) or trust and reliability (Autonomous, Smart).
• The study highlights the need for clear understanding and appropriate DevBot deployment based on specific needs, identifying a market opportunity for more sophisticated 'Smart' bots.

An Empirical Study of Bots in Software Development

The increasing reliance on software development bots (DevBots) in the software engineering landscape has raised substantial interest yet also brought forward challenges in understanding and deploying these tools effectively. The paper "An Empirical Study of Bots in Software Development: Characteristics and Challenges from a Practitioner’s Perspective" presents a comprehensive exploration of DevBot usage, focusing on their characteristics, benefits, and associated challenges as perceived by practitioners.

Characteristics and Personas

The study underscores the inherent complexity in defining DevBots, as developers' perceptions are diverse and multifaceted. Through a methodologically robust mixed-methods study, the authors identify three distinct personas reflecting the varied conceptualizations of DevBots:

1. Chat Bot Persona (Charlie): For this persona, the defining attribute of DevBots is their ability to facilitate interaction through natural language interfaces. Charlie sees value in DevBots that enhance communication fluidity through platforms like Slack, emphasizing integration over intelligence or autonomy.
2. Autonomous Bot Persona (Alex): The emphasis here is on autonomy. Bots are primarily recognized for their capacity to autonomously execute routine, generally simplistic tasks, reducing the burden of manual intervention. Alex values the self-triggering nature of these bots rather than the sophistication of their internal logic.
3. Smart Bot Persona (Sam): This persona centers around the notion of "smartness." DevBots perceived by Sam transcend simple automation, offering advanced capabilities often underpinned by machine learning or complex algorithms. These bots are characterized by adaptability and broader problem-solving capabilities, which are more suitable for challenging and non-trivial tasks.

Benefits and Challenges

The benefits associated with DevBots predominantly revolve around increased productivity and efficiency. However, the precise mechanisms through which productivity is enhanced vary across personas. For Charlie, productivity is bolstered through streamlined communication and data accessibility. Alex sees time savings in the automation of repetitive tasks, while Sam identifies productivity gains through the ability to handle tasks of greater complexity than those achievable by standard tools alone.

Challenges in employing DevBots are notably persona-dependent. While Charlie struggles with interface usability and the cognitive load associated with message parsing consistency, Alex and Sam are more concerned with issues of trust and the reliability of bot actions. Trust, in particular, emerges as a crucial factor for higher complexity operations, with practitioners wary of excessive false positives or erroneous autonomous actions.

Implications and Future Work

Practically, the research highlights the necessity for clear understanding and appropriate deployment of different types of DevBots to align with specific organizational needs and development environments. The lack of general-purpose Sam-style bots in the market suggests a substantial opportunity for tool developers to create more sophisticated, intelligent solutions for broader adoption.

Theoretically, this study enriches the understanding of software bots by empirically grounding the discussion in practitioners' perspectives, thereby providing actionable insights for future research aimed at addressing the identified challenges and further exploring the boundaries of bot capabilities.

In conclusion, this paper contributes significantly to the discourse on software bots, providing a nuanced understanding of their roles, potential, and limitations. Future research should continue to elaborate on these aspects, evaluating the impacts of emerging technologies and evolving software practices on the definitions and utilities of DevBots within software engineering.