Bug Scrubs for 4.7

Ensuring tickets move towards a resolution is one of the most important things we can work on as a project. Bug Scrubs serve as one of the ways to make this happen. For 4.7, I would like to invite you to run a WordPress bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. scrub. Bug Scrubs can have a general focus, focus on a specific component, or focus on a specific report (such as ancient tickets). Want to learn more? Here is a list of “Potentially Asked Questions”. Have an unanswered question? Ask it in the comments.

Who can run a Bug Scrub?

You! Leading a Bug Scrub is something any interested community member can do.

What is a Bug Scrub?

Bug Scrubs are set and announced meetings where the goal is to go through a list of tickets and move them towards a resolution. They are also something that anyone is welcome to run!

Where do I get a list of tickets for my Bug Scrub?

There are many pre-generated reports that you can use. These include specific component reports such as for Bootstrap/Load, focus oriented ones such as for JavaScript, and all tickets requesting dev feedback. You can also create a custom query such as one for defects discussed during the last cycle that don’t have a resolution yet.

What does it mean to move tickets towards a resolution?

There are a number of possible resolutions to a ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.. Moving a ticket towards a resolution might involve pinging a specific person for feedback/information, or it might be reviewing a patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing. and providing feedback on it. It may involve adding a new keyword to a ticket. Almost always, it should include a summary of the discussion.

How many tickets should be reviewed in a Bug Scrub?

There is no magic number for Bug Scrubs. It is entirely up to the organizers. Bug Scrubs work best when they have a specific end goal. This may be a number of tickets or this may be a time period. Generally, 1 hour is a good amount of time and no more than 5 minutes is enough for each ticket.

How do I run a Bug Scrub?

At the start of the scrub, you should announce it by opening the Bug Scrub <bugscrub> tagtag A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) and welcoming people. You should then link to the list of tickets you will be going through. This should either be a pre-existing report on tracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. or a query that you generate. Then, you should post the first ticket for discussion. Make sure to mention it via number or a link so that slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. auto posts a link so someone can see this ticket was discussed. Then take a moment to review the ticket and discuss what it needs to move forward. You may call for volunteers for specific tasks. Finally, you should make sure one person is responsible for updating the ticket with whatever decision is made. Sometimes cutting off discussion and moving it back to the ticket with some summary of thoughts makes the most sense. That’s a decision you need to make, though anyone should feel free to suggest it. After that, repeat with the next ticket on the list.

When you are done, make sure to close </bugscrub> and thank everyone who helped.

What do I need to organize a Bug Scrub?

An internet connection, an account on both WordPress.org and wordpress.slack.com ( which you can get through https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ with your WordPress.org account), and a willingness to devote some time to help WordPress. You do not need to be a core committer or someone that would be called a “core dev” (whatever that means) to lead a Bug Scrub. You also don’t need to be a developer at all; designers, project managers, QA engineers, and product managers all can be great Bug Scrub leaders.

People that are successful at running Bug Scrubs are people that can communicate well and are familiar with the trac workflow and how WordPress uses keywords on trac. Running a Bug Scrub involves Bug Gardening, so a tester mindset and understanding users helps as well.

I want to lead one, what do I need to do?

Awesome! Thank you! You should pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” me (@jorbin) on slack and let me know the time you are thinking and the report you want to go through and I’ll help ensure your scrub takes place in the appropriate room. Most scrubs will happen in the #core room, though some components have their own rooms where it makes sense to hold the scrub. The main concern is to ensure that two scrubs don’t happen simultaneously in the same room.

What if no one else shows up?

This sometimes happens and is fine. It just means you end up publicly sharing your thoughts on how to move a ticket forward. Sometimes people will start to chime in once they see someone being active.

An active bug tracker is one sign of a healthy project. Help ensure the health of WordPress by running a Bug Scrub. I will now yield the remainder of my time to questions.

#4-7, #bug-scrub