Socio-Technical Well-Being of Quantum Software Communities: An Overview on Community Smells

2026-02-19

AI Summary

This study addresses a critical gap in quantum software engineering by introducing the concept of “community smells”—social-technical anti-patterns that adversely affect community health and software quality—into the domain of quantum open-source software. Employing a socio-technical analysis framework and a cross-sectional empirical approach, the research systematically identifies and examines these community smells through a combination of open-source behavioral data and anti-pattern detection techniques. The findings reveal how such anti-patterns manifest within quantum software communities and elucidate their impact on technical debt and architectural quality. By uncovering these previously unexplored socio-technical dynamics, this work provides foundational insights for enhancing both community sustainability and software quality in the emerging field of quantum computing.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Graph Mining, Social Network Analysis & Community
• Application Domains: Software Engineering

Application Category

• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Community question answering
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: LLM based quality controls for crowd work
• Social Networks and Social Media: Analysis of web-mediated communications, communities, and crowds

Abstract

Quantum computing has gained significant attention due to its potential to solve computational problems beyond the capabilities of classical computers. With major corporations and academic institutions investing in quantum hardware and software, there has been a rise in the development of quantum-enabled systems, particularly within open-source communities. However, despite the promising nature of quantum technologies, these communities face critical socio-technical challenges, including the emergence of socio-technical anti-patterns known as community smells. These anti-patterns, prevalent in open-source environments, have the potential to negatively impact both product quality and community health by introducing technical debt and amplifying architectural and code smells. Despite the importance of these socio-technical factors, there remains a scarcity of research investigating their influence within quantum open-source communities. This work aims to address this gap by providing a first step in analyzing the socio-technical well-being of quantum communities through a cross-sectional study. By understanding the socio-technical dynamics at play, it is expected that foundational knowledge can be established to mitigate the risks associated with community smells and ensure the long-term sustainability of open-source quantum initiatives.

Problem

• community smells
• quantum software
• socio-technical challenges
• open-source communities
• technical debt

Innovation

• community smells
• quantum software
• socio-technical well-being
• open-source communities
• technical debt