Open development management and practices in a distributed team Ross Gardler OSS Watch Service Manager [email_address] http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk Topic Tag: OSSWatch-OpenDevelopment Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this presentation are © 2008 University of Oxford and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales licence .

Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this presentation are © 2008 University of Oxford

and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales licence .

Overview Who Are OSS Watch? Who is Ross Gardler? What is Open Development? Essential Processes Essential Tools Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch?

Who is Ross Gardler?

What is Open Development?

Essential Processes

Essential Tools

Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch? JISC funded open source software advisory service (non-advocacy)‏ Online and Face to Face support Licencing and IPR management Open source project support Evaluating and using open source Briefing notes and consultations

JISC funded open source software advisory service (non-advocacy)‏

Online and Face to Face support

Licencing and IPR management

Open source project support

Evaluating and using open source

Briefing notes and consultations

Who is Ross Gardler? Open source developer Member of The Apache Software Foundation Joined OSS Watch in Jan 2007 Service Manager in July 2007 My focus is on open source for sustainability

Open source developer

Member of The Apache Software Foundation

Joined OSS Watch in Jan 2007

Service Manager in July 2007

My focus is on open source for sustainability

Overview Who Are OSS Watch? Who is Ross Gardler? What is Open Development? Essential Processes Essential Tools Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch?

Who is Ross Gardler?

What is Open Development?

Essential Processes

Essential Tools

Advanced Processes and Tools

Open development is... A way for distributed team members to collaboratively develop a shared resource

Open Development... Particularly useful in distributed self selecting teams Very common in open source projects Key attributes include: User engagement Transparency Collaboration Agility

Particularly useful in distributed self selecting teams

Very common in open source projects

Key attributes include:

User engagement

Transparency

Collaboration

Agility

Is it Agile Development? Yes, but No, but Yes, but No, but...

No Some Agile methods are not appropriate e.g. Does not require co-location Does allow anyone to participate NOTE: this does not mean that anyone has the right to modify open source code in the core repository

Some Agile methods are not appropriate

e.g. Does not require co-location

Does allow anyone to participate

NOTE: this does not mean that anyone has the right to modify open source code in the core repository

Yes Many agile practices evolved from or alongside open development, e.g. Collective code ownership Incremental design and architecture Real customer involvement Revision Control

Many agile practices evolved from or alongside open development, e.g.

Collective code ownership

Incremental design and architecture

Real customer involvement

Revision Control

Overview Who Are OSS Watch? Who is Ross Gardler? What is Open Development? Essential Processes Essential Tools Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch?

Who is Ross Gardler?

What is Open Development?

Essential Processes

Essential Tools

Advanced Processes and Tools

Communication If it didn't happen on the list, it didn't happen Face to face meetings produce proposals Decisions are made on mailing lists Transparency No hidden agenda

If it didn't happen on the list, it didn't happen

Face to face meetings produce proposals

Decisions are made on mailing lists

Transparency

No hidden agenda

Management Progression through project roles User -> Contributor -> Committer -> Maintainer Governance How are decisions made? How are conflicts resolved? How do you gain influence? IPR management

Progression through project roles

User -> Contributor -> Committer -> Maintainer

Governance

How are decisions made?

How are conflicts resolved?

How do you gain influence?

IPR management

Quality Control Small reversible steps Managing contributions Commit then review Review then commit Test Driven Development No tests or documentation, no commit

Small reversible steps

Managing contributions

Commit then review

Review then commit

Test Driven Development

No tests or documentation, no commit

User Engagement Today's users may be Tomorrows contributor Release early, release often Managing user expectations Capturing user testing (bug reports) Capturing user needs (feature requests)

Today's users may be Tomorrows contributor

Release early, release often

Managing user expectations

Capturing user testing (bug reports)

Capturing user needs (feature requests)

Recognition & Reward “ Those who contribute to us are as selfish as anybody else. There's rarely any charitable aspect of this.” - Marten Mickos, (Sold MySQL for $1B) Recognise why people contribute A better solution for themselves Reward all forms of contribution Peer recognition is valuable

“ Those who contribute to us are as selfish as anybody else. There's rarely any charitable aspect of this.” - Marten Mickos, (Sold MySQL for $1B)

Recognise why people contribute

A better solution for themselves

Reward all forms of contribution

Peer recognition is valuable

Overview Who Are OSS Watch? Who is Ross Gardler? What is Open Development? Essential Processes Essential Tools Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch?

Who is Ross Gardler?

What is Open Development?

Essential Processes

Essential Tools

Advanced Processes and Tools

Web Site Mission statement Non technical overview Status Licence Communication channels Downloads Screenshots and Screencasts

Mission statement

Non technical overview

Status

Licence

Communication channels

Downloads

Screenshots and Screencasts

Documentation Users Getting started FAQ Developers Technical overview Version Control How to get involved

Users

Getting started

FAQ

Developers

Technical overview

Version Control

How to get involved

Mailing Lists or Forums All lists/forums archived Project memory Documentation Developers List technical discussion developer support Project management

All lists/forums archived

Project memory

Documentation

Developers List

technical discussion

developer support

Project management

Other lists/forums? Do you really need others? Don't split your small audience You may need Users list for user support Commit notifications Management list for sensitive issues Be careful – transparency is everything

Do you really need others?

Don't split your small audience

You may need

Users list for user support

Commit notifications

Management list for sensitive issues

Be careful – transparency is everything

Issue Tracker Project management Project road map User feature requests Activity tracking All changes mailed to developer list Patch management

Project management

Project road map

User feature requests

Activity tracking

All changes mailed to developer list

Patch management

Revision Control System Coordinate multiple developers Project time machine Reverse mistakes IPR Management Enables experimental development All changes mailed to developer list

Coordinate multiple developers

Project time machine

Reverse mistakes

IPR Management

Enables experimental development

All changes mailed to developer list

Overview Who Are OSS Watch? Who is Ross Gardler? What is Open Development? Essential Processes Essential Tools Advanced Processes and Tools

Who Are OSS Watch?

Who is Ross Gardler?

What is Open Development?

Essential Processes

Essential Tools

Advanced Processes and Tools

Do you really need it? Tools are not the answer to a failing process Process is not the answer to a failing project Before adding new tools or processes think “Do you really need it?”

Tools are not the answer to a failing process

Process is not the answer to a failing project

Before adding new tools or processes think “Do you really need it?”

Adding value Remove don't add barriers Aim for participation Tools that reduce effort = good Continuous Integration Patch management Tools that increase effort = bad(?)

Remove don't add barriers

Aim for participation

Tools that reduce effort = good

Continuous Integration

Patch management

Tools that increase effort = bad(?)

Be Realistic, Be Sensible Building an open development project takes time “they” won't come flocking You will talk to yourself in the early days Start as you mean to go on Lead by example, others will follow Encourage everyone to help new users

Building an open development project takes time

“they” won't come flocking

You will talk to yourself in the early days

Start as you mean to go on

Lead by example, others will follow

Encourage everyone to help new users

Thank you for listening [email_address] www.oss-watch.ac.uk Ross Gardler Image: Some Rights Reserved http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksaad/152579107/

Thank you for listening

[email_address]

www.oss-watch.ac.uk

Ross Gardler

Image: Some Rights Reserved http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksaad/152579107/