Addressed Problems

In FLOSS development projects the complexity of managing coordination is multiplied:

• The variety of communication tools causes an information pull very heterogeneous, distributed and not well-linked on the basis of its content.
• A very communication-intensive open source community generates vast amounts of information as a result of the interactions/communication, which causes a kind of information overload.
• The awareness about the work and need of other developers is very vague.

In order to enhance coordination in FLOSS projects, communication must be efficient (i.e. timely and clear) and effective (i.e. targeted).
FLOSS community members need to understand who is working on what in the community and how their work affects other community members. This knowledge has to be collected in real time, as it is created. Such knowledge will allow people to coordinate work effectively, anticipate other members’ actions, discuss tasks and locate help.