Open data movement has nurtured the growth of civic open source software (OSS) in the recent decade. This emerging phenomenon has demonstrated a way that a community can collectively utilize technology to solve its problems.
This study is based on software projects in brigades of Code for America, which is a network of organizations that group volunteers to create digital solutions to community problems. In this study, we analyze the software engineering practices of current civic open source software development, participants' motivations and perceptions of the projects, and provide insights on the antecedents of success of the application development.
A conceptual model is developed to capture potential correlated factors and determinants of the success of civic OSS. We find that leadership, team member's identification as a core team member, and his/her perception of the public benefit level of the project are predictors for his/her satisfaction level. Additionally, we find that compared to team members who are very uninterested in the technologies used in the projects, those who have strong interests in the technologies experience an increase in the odds of stronger willingness to continue in the projects.
","abstract_html":"<p>Open data movement has nurtured the growth of civic open source software (OSS) in the recent decade. This emerging phenomenon has demonstrated a way that a community can collectively utilize technology to solve its problems.</p> <p>This study is based on software projects in brigades of Code for America, which is a network of organizations that group volunteers to create digital solutions to community problems. In this study, we analyze the software engineering practices of current civic open source software development, participants' motivations and perceptions of the projects, and provide insights on the antecedents of success of the application development.</p> <p>A conceptual model is developed to capture potential correlated factors and determinants of the success of civic OSS. We find that leadership, team member's identification as a core team member, and his/her perception of the public benefit level of the project are predictors for his/her satisfaction level. Additionally, we find that compared to team members who are very uninterested in the technologies used in the projects, those who have strong interests in the technologies experience an increase in the odds of stronger willingness to continue in the projects.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Chang, Le"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Matthew Rutherford, Ph.D.","Susanne Sherba","Cathy Durso"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:26Z","subjects":["Open source software","Civic open source software development","Code for America","Computer Sciences","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Performance Management","Software Engineering"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1528","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Matthew Rutherford, Ph.D.","Susanne Sherba","Cathy Durso"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Chang, Le"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-01-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Open source software","Civic open source software development","Code for America","Computer Sciences","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Performance Management","Software Engineering"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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This study is based on software projects in brigades of Code for America, which is a network of organizations that group volunteers to create digital solutions to community problems. In this study, we analyze the software engineering practices of current civic open source software development, participants' motivations and perceptions of the projects, and provide insights on the antecedents of success of the application development.
A conceptual model is developed to capture potential correlated factors and determinants of the success of civic OSS. We find that leadership, team member's identification as a core team member, and his/her perception of the public benefit level of the project are predictors for his/her satisfaction level. Additionally, we find that compared to team members who are very uninterested in the technologies used in the projects, those who have strong interests in the technologies experience an increase in the odds of stronger willingness to continue in the projects.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Motivations, Team Dynamics, Development Practices and How They Impact the Success of Open Source Software: A Study of Projects of Code for America Brigades"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Matthew Rutherford, Ph.D.","Susanne Sherba","Cathy Durso"],"dc:creator":["Chang, Le"],"dc:date.available":["2019-01-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Open data movement has nurtured the growth of civic open source software (OSS) in the recent decade. This emerging phenomenon has demonstrated a way that a community can collectively utilize technology to solve its problems.
This study is based on software projects in brigades of Code for America, which is a network of organizations that group volunteers to create digital solutions to community problems. In this study, we analyze the software engineering practices of current civic open source software development, participants' motivations and perceptions of the projects, and provide insights on the antecedents of success of the application development.
A conceptual model is developed to capture potential correlated factors and determinants of the success of civic OSS. We find that leadership, team member's identification as a core team member, and his/her perception of the public benefit level of the project are predictors for his/her satisfaction level. Additionally, we find that compared to team members who are very uninterested in the technologies used in the projects, those who have strong interests in the technologies experience an increase in the odds of stronger willingness to continue in the projects.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1528"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Open source software","Civic open source software development","Code for America","Computer Sciences","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Performance Management","Software Engineering"],"dc:title":["Motivations, Team Dynamics, Development Practices and How They Impact the Success of Open Source Software: A Study of Projects of Code for America Brigades"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:26Z"}