How to be successful with your open source project across the lifecycle.

1. The Project Lifecycle
How to Succeed
Paula Hunter, Executive Director
Outercurve Foundation

2. Outline
• Lifecycle
• Functional needs
• How to succeed
• How foundations can help

3. Project Lifecycle
Concept
Adoption Launch
Sustain Build
Support Community

4. Project Lifecycle
An Idea is born
Prototype
Concept Share ideas
Adoption Launch
Sustain Build
Support Community

5. Project Lifecycle
Concept
Adoption Launch
Go public with project
Look for input / participation
Share code
Sustain Build
Support Community

6. Project Lifecycle
Concept
Adoption Launch
Sustain Build
Support Community
Looking for a few good coders
Appoint committers
Identify gaps in code and coders

7. Project Lifecycle
Concept
Adoption Launch
Documentation
Forums
Sustain Build
“Commercial” Support? Support Community

8. Project Lifecycle
Concept
People/companies are using the code
New features, bug fixes
Creating a business?
Adoption Launch
Sustain Build
Support Community

9. Wash, Rinse, Repeat!
An Idea is born
Prototype
Concept Share ideas
People/companies are using the code
New features, bug fixes
Creating a business?
Adoption Launch
Go public with project
Look for input / participation
Share code
Documentation
Forums Sustain Build
“Commercial” Support? Support Community
Looking for a few good coders
Appoint committers
Identify gaps in code and coders

10. Typical OSS Project
Project Leader
Project
Committer(s)
Project
Contributor(s)

11. Typical Software Company
CEO
IT, Operations, Legal
Product Management Engineering Sales and Marketing Services and Support
and Finance
Market and sell
Product Requirements, Installation and Manage company
product, increase
Pipeline, Customer Development, QA deployment, support, operations, finances,
adoption, engage
feedback bug reporting and infrastructure
customers

12. How to Succeed
• Concept
– Development environment
– Forge
– License and contribution mechanism
– Code certifications
– Co-conspirator and/or mentor

13. Typical OSS Project
Project Leader
Project
Committer(s)
Project
Contributor(s)

14. How to Succeed
• Launch
– Name (please do a search!)
• http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/index.jsp
– Domain
– Website
– Branding – what do you want to convey?
Fun? Innovative? Serious? Altruistic?
– Social media “plan”
– App Stores – apply early

15. Typical OSS Project
Project Leader
Project
Committer(s)
Project
Contributor(s)

16. How to Succeed
• Build Community
– Project awareness (see social media)
– Engage developers (proactively)
– Groom committers, contributors, testers
– Document project management philosophy
• IP management and oversight
– Utilize forums, wiki, mailing list
– Host meet-ups
– Celebrate success and say thank you!

17. Typical OSS Project
Project Leader
Project
Committer(s)
Project
Contributor(s)

18. How to Succeed
• Sustain Support
– Set expectations (not everyone understands the
OSS Ethos)
– Prepare documentation (you may need to pay
someone, or create bounties)
– Respond to bug fixes and patches even if you
don’t intend to implement them
– Charge if necessary (a business opportunity)

19. Are We Having Fun Yet?
Project Leader
Project
Committer(s)
Project
Contributor(s)

20. How to Succeed
• Adoption
– Use will enhance the project
– Have a feedback loop for non-developers
– Can you sustain more iterations?
– Do you have a succession plan?

21. Looking Better?
CEO
IT, Operations, Legal
Product Management Engineering Sales and Marketing Services and Support
and Finance
Market and sell
Product Requirements, Installation and Manage company
product, increase
Pipeline, Customer Development, QA deployment, support, operations, finances,
adoption, engage
feedback bug reporting and infrastructure
customers

22. How Foundations Can Help
• Operations
• Governance
• Legal
• Finance
• Marketing
• Mentorship

23. Types of OSS Non-Profits
Mix of
Sponsor Sponsors Community
Driven and Driven
Community
Linux Foundation
Apache
Examples Fedora, OpenSuSe Eclipse Foundation
Gnome
Outercurve Foundation
Sponsor has highest level of Inclusionary
Inclusive
control Revenue mix not tied to one
Positive Attributes Focused projects member or sponsor
Low operating costs
Strong volunteer ethic
Well understood brand Broader technology focus
Sponsor Primary source of
funds More complex operationally Dependent on volunteers
Narrow technology focus May dictate license and/or for admin
Negative Attributes development methodology Less structure
Smaller potential community
Responsible for complete Expensive
process

24. What to Consider Re: Foundations
• Governance
• Development Methodology
• Forge
• Technology Focus
• IP Management
• Services

25. Outercurve Foundation Provides Staffing and
Services Throughout the Project Lifecycle
Build Sustain
Concept Launch Adoption
Community Support
• Counsel on best • Launch program • Establish project • Gallery and project • Provide tools and
practices for licensing, tailored to the project management process sponsors provide 3 templates to guide
code assignment, and audience(s), including year commitment project leads to
• Forums and blogs -
contribution integrated PR and successful adoption of
use Outercurve.org • Project mentorship
agreements Social Media the project
and feed our home available
campaigns
• IP management and page for greater • Promote major
• Education and
oversight • Code signing exposure, tap into our milestones and
promotion of IP
certificates ongoing dialog with releases
• Project guidelines for management and
the community
getting started, how to • Project mailing lists development process
get involved and and administrative • Support and fund
• Project committers can
contribute. resources developer events
serve on Technical
• Project dashboard • Indemnify project Advisory Board
committers
• Provide branding • OC Wiki
elements for project • Establish a facility to
websites collect and distribute
project level donations
and bounties

26. Lessons Learned
• Naming, TM issues, Domain acquisition
• Application Stores and Developer programs
• Change in community / leadership
• Project users unfamiliar with OSS ethos
• No support

27. Questions?
phunter@outercurve.org
@huntermkt
www.outercurve.org