Project Governance

mark.johnson@it.ox.ac.uk@marxjohnson

In this sessionWhat are governace models? Why are they important in FOSS projects?

Varieties of Governence models

Contribution management styles

Reflection on your own governance model

What's Governance?

The roles and processes for decision making within a project

Gardler, R. Hanganu, G. et al – Governance Models

Informs potential contributors Assures potential users

Helps build sustainabilityRetains Control

Helps the project achieve its goals

Governance in Ubuntuhttp://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubuntu/governance

Ensures...

1) There is a defined process that helps people contribute

2) Decisions are taken in a fair and transparent manner

3) Necessary decisions are taken, even when there's no clear consensus. There's also a clear path for appeal.

What's Governance?

Styles of Governance

BenevolentDictatorship Meritocracy

(Formal)

Benevolent Dictator

Gardler, R and Hanganu, G. et al - Benevolent dictator governance model

Folgel, K. - Producing Open Source Software

● Sensitivity to your own influence● Letting people air ideas (even stupid ones)● Ability to acknowledge own mistakes● Ability to recognise good design● Personality

Folgel, K.

Qualities of a Benevolent Dictator

Linus's take on being nice "If you want me to "act professional", I can tell you that I'm not

interested. I'm sitting in my home office wearign [sic] a bathrobe.

The same way I'm not going to start wearing ties, I'm *also* not

going to buy into the fake politeness, the lying, the office politics

and backstabbing, the passive aggressiveness, and the

buzzwords. Because THAT is what "acting professionally"

results in: people resort to all kinds of really nasty things because

they are forced to act out their normal urges in unnatural ways."

Meritocracy

"Power for those who earn it"

Meritocracy

Gardler, R and Hanganu, G. et al – Meritocratic governance model

Helen contributes work to the project

Helen gains respect from peers

Respect gives Helen'svoice more weight in

discussions

Helen is elected orappointed to a leadership

position

● Inclusive – Equality of opportunity● Operates on consensus rather than votes● "Lazy Consensus" helps expedite non-controversial decisions

Meritocracy

Ubuntu – Striking a balance

Read the Ubuntu Governance handout

What are the roles?

How are decisions made?

Is it a Benevolent Dictatorship or a Meritocracy?

Project Management

Raymond, E. - The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Cathedral

● Small group of experts● Infrequent release cycle ● Heavily tested● Contributions subject to heavy review

Bazaar

● Larger, less formal group● "Release Early, Release Often"● "With enough eyes, all bugs are shallow"● Responsive to user and tester feedback

BenevolentDictator

FormalMeritocracy

Cathedral

Bazaar

Less open toparticipatory governance

More open toparticipatory governance

Less opento externalcontribution

More opento externalcontribution

GNU Emacs(c. 1997)

Ubuntu

Apache HTTPD

Apache OODT

Linux

Reflection Activity

● Think about how decision are made within your project, and how contributions are handled

● Look at the graph of governance and contribution models

● Where does your project current sit?● Where do you think it should sit?

Summary● Governance is important to define and communicate how your project operates● You need to strike the right balances to retain the right amount of control while inviting the right amount of contribution● There's no "one true way", it depends on your project's goals● Communicating your governance model effectively is important for managing the expectations of contributors

Questions?

Cathedral, Frankfurt by Brian Burgerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/wirelizard/1414035429/

Istanbul - Grand Bazaar by Roger Woolstadthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/24736216@N07/3498051077

Saint IGNUcius speaking by Beatrice Murchhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/3001698026/

P1010100 by dazfuller

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68293811@N00/4043153407

Image Credits

ReferencesGardler, R and Hanganu, G. et al (2013) Governance Modelshttp://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/governanceModels

Gardler, R. and Hanganu, G. et al (2013) Benevolent Dictator Governance Modelhttp://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/benevolentdictatorgovernancemodel

Gardler, R. and Hanganu, G. et al (2013) Meritocratic Governance Modelhttp://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/meritocraticGovernanceModel

Fogel, K. (2005) "What makes a good benevolent dictator?" Producing Open Source Softwarehttp://producingoss.com/html-chunk/social-infrastructure.html#benevolent-dictator

Raymond, E. (2000) The Cathedral and the Bazaarhttp://catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/

Canonical Ltd. Governancehttp://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubuntu/governance

Linux Namesake argues in favour of being a jerkhttp://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.822248-Linux-Namesake-Argues-In-Favor-Of-Being-A-Jerk