Problem validation for blocking approval
What did we learn?
Results |
---|
2-3 sentences to summarize the results |
Estimated RICE Reach A * Impact B * Confidence C / Effort D = E
|
- Link to Dovetail project |
What's this issue all about? (Background and context)
Block merge request with a negative approval signal, a five year old issue, is one of the most popular feature requests for Code Review, requested by at least 4 customers. The problem statement is:
As a project maintainer or senior developer, when I am reviewing merge requests I may see a merge request that is problematic and needs significant work before it can be merged. It may not be a code quality problem but it might conflict with other work that is currently happening in a different team that other eligible approvers may be unaware of. I want to be able block (negative approval) a merge request so that it doesn't get approved and merged by other team members.
A customer is interested enough that they are willing to implement the blocking behavior themselves (see related customer issue).
However, we don't have any plans to allow blocking activities, nor is that something we've historically been very willing to see in the product. We're also very hesitant to add new configuration to the product as that can make it more complicated for new users and introduces less optimal workflows.
What are the overarching goals for the research?
Identify and validate the problem behind Block merge request with a negative approval signal, to understand if it's a problem worth pursuing and what we need to be aware when developing a solution. This can help us guide community contributions in the right direction.
What hypotheses and/or assumptions do you have?
- Reviewers want to “block” an MR because they have a specific concerns about the MR that they would like to see addressed before the MR is merged.
- When reviewers “block” an MR, they always try to share the “why” so that communication is clear and the team's work can be more efficient and effective.
What research questions are you trying to answer?
- What is the user's goal?
- When does this problem occur?
- What is the reach and impact of this problem?
- What are the key parts of this problem?
- What are the potential boring solutions to this problem?
What, if any, relevant prior research already exists?
See related issues and links in Block merge request with a negative approval signal.