1. A computer-implemented method of regulating user action affecting one or more work items of a work item tracking system for a software development environment, the method comprising acts of: providing a software development environment including software development work item rules that regulate user action affecting work items during software development using the software development environment, each work item comprising a software element that can be accessed or modified by a user based on one or more of the software development work item rules, the software element being an element under development in the software development environment, the software development work item rules selectively authorizing user access and modification of specified work items; in response to a first user action affecting a first work item of the work item tracking system, determining, in a client computing device, one or more software development work item rules corresponding to the first work item; interpreting, in the client computing device, the one or more determined software development work item rules; and responding, in the client computing device, to the first user action by authorizing user access or modification of the first work item based on the interpretation of the one or more determined software development work item rules, wherein the work item tracking system is distributed across at least a first network element and a second network element connected to the first network element by one or more communication media, the first network element comprising a first module, and the second network element comprising a second module, the method further comprising an act of: the first module receiving input from a user specifying a user action affecting the first work item, wherein the acts of determining, interpreting and responding are performed by the first module, and wherein the method further comprises: the second module interpreting the one or more determined work item rules.