This document discusses product management for open source software. It notes that open source software has matured and become popular, competing with enterprise products while having lower costs. Product management is needed to balance competing motivations from various stakeholders like engineering, business, and end users. Open source follows different models than proprietary software, relying on volunteer contributors and using community consensus. The key challenges include coordinating the globally distributed community and balancing goals with contributors' motivations. The document outlines the typical phases of open source product management including conceiving the idea, requirements gathering, collaborative design, building and testing by volunteers, and ongoing maintenance as the project is always a work in progress.

1. Product Management
For
Open Source Software
Nandini
Ravi
|
Gurpreet
Luthra

2. Open Source Software

5. Help re-unite children
during a disaster

9. Scope for today…

10. Scope for today…

11. Need for Product Management?

12. Maturity
Popularity
Competition with
Enterprise Products
Low Cost
“The
most
an7cipated
benefits
of
using
open
source
programs
are
lowering
governmental
expenses
on
technology
solu7ons
and
decreasing
Egypt’s
soCware
imports,
besides
promo7ng
social
awareness
of
the
importance
of
using
these
applica7ons.”
Atef
Helmy,
Egyp7an
Minister
for
Communica7on
&
IT

13. Maturity
Popularity
Dilemma of OSS
vs Proprietary
Competition with
Enterprise Products
Social Impact Space
Low Cost
Balance competing
motivations

14. IT / Engg
Sales, Marketing, Training
End Users
Business
Stakeholders
Product
Manager
Commercial Model

15.
Open Source Models
Contributors
Sponsors
Non-­‐Profits
For-­‐Profit
Crowd-­‐Funding
Users

17. Tradeoffs
• More Stakeholders
• Consensus Building
• Coordination
• Motivations & Expectations
Community
• Balancing goals & potential
cost & time constraints
Funding
Globally
Distributed
Global pool of Talented,
Committed & Motivated
individuals
Community
Fewer
Constraints*
• Innovation & Technology Contribution
• Humanitarian Impact
Impact

18. Who is the Community?

19. What motivates the Community?
Source:
Boston
Consul7ng
Group

20. General structure of the Community

21. Leadership & Decision Making Models
LINUX
Rotating
Dictatorship
PERL
Informal
Models
Apache

22. Typical User & System Evolution Model

23. Product Management
The Phases, The Steps & The Characteristics

24. Conceive Design Realize Service
Product Lifecycle Phases
OSS Vs. Proprietary
What? How?
When?
Who?

25. • Core Steering Team
• Road Mapping
(No Rigid Long Term
Timelines)
Concept & Strategy
• Build the Community
ü Website
ü Wiki
ü Mailing Lists
ü IRC Channels

26. • Diverse Stakeholders
• Public Requirements Repository
– Tagging & Categorizing for Community
• Prioritization
– Balance Product Goals with Contributor
Motivations
– How? Democratic/ Dictatoriship
• Hidden Opportunity for Low
Priority Features
Requirements & Design

27. • Collaborative Design & Community
Ownership
“How many Open Source
Developers does it take to change
a lightbulb ?”
• Knowledge Sharing- CRITICAL
for lower entry barrier
Requirements & Design

28. • Collaborative Development
– Voluntary Signups
– Modularization
– Release early and often
– Accelerate by Co-sourcing?
– 80/20 principle
– Commit Approval
(Hierarchical / Voting / Core Team)
Realize – Build & Test
• Tracking / Planning / Coordination
Virtual
Stand-­‐Ups
| IRC
Channels
|
Conferencing
|
NewsleSers
• Testing – Power of Numbers

29. Realize - Marketing & Distribution
Contributors
Sponsors
Users
Community Forums
Product Download
Website
Evangelism
Gamification
Social Media
Outreach Events

30. Product Growth & Maintenance
• Open Source Projects – Always WIP , Always Beta
• “It’s not a Bug, it’s a FEATURE !!”
– When Users &Contributors Collide

31. Whose Job is it Anyway??

33. How can you contribute ?

34. Thank you!