An Approach to Investigating Proactive Knowledge Retention in OSS Communities

Abstract

Open Source Software (OSS) is the manifestation of software developed and released under an “open source” license, meaning that under certain conditions; it is openly available for use, inspection, modification, and for redistribution free of cost, or with cost based on the license agreement. The transient nature of work force results in turnover induced knowledge loss in OSS projects. Knowledge loss phenomenon refers to loss of experience and expertise in OSS projects due to leaving contributors, whose knowledge remains unshared with other contributors. The outcome of this work is the research methodology, to contribute towards the formation of proactive knowledge retention practices in OSS projects to transform contributor’s use of knowledge and engagement in knowledge relevant activities including knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer.