Free/Libre/Open Works (FLOW) Management Education Questionnaire and Analysis

Version 15.1 by Joseph Potvin on 2014/01/13 19:51

Project Dates & Current Status

27 Nov. 2013 through 31 January 2014

Paper drafted and undergoing limited review prior to wider circulation for comment, and ahead of submission to a journal

Abstract (12 January 2014)

The majority of project management education currently offered has not kept pace with the evolution of the successful free/libre/open source business culture, processes and methods which have come to prominence in the past decade. This research provides an initial cursory assessment of priorities for including it in management education in academic and business markets. Based on a semi-structured survey of fourteen subject matter experts in seven countries, preliminary findings suggest that this involves more than techniques. Choices amongst free/libre/open solutons and restrictive solutions involve not only different technical and financial options, but different business cultures. The very words “project” and “management” carry different meanings in the free/libre/open community than in the wider business field. Participants in free/libre/open communities typically do not surrender to being managed, though they accept that someone should coordinate their efforts. In this paper we adopt the terms coordination and coordinator in relation to free/libre/open works, rather than management and manager.

Initial Description (November 2013)

To what extent has mainstream management education kept abreast of industry's engagement of free/libre/open source software development methodologies? Do the widely used educational materials by managers — such as the PMP (Project Management Professional) and PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments, v.2) certifications — effectively include or ignore free/libre/open project management competencies, including: ethics, methods, processes, governance, HR management, corporate strategy, law, and financing?

A mini-survey will be conducted to assess if manager competencies for free/libre/open source software projects, portfolios or foundations are sufficiently distinct from those appropriate to work under restrictive software business models, as to require the adaptation and/or extension of current mainstream project management training resources, programs and certifications.

This survey will serve as a foundation, to guide further discussions and understanding in preparing an “OSI Management Education Working Group”, a new Working Group under the Outreach and Learning Committee of the Open Source Initiative (OSI). In addition, responses should be useful to advance Version 1.0 (cc-by-sa & gnu-fdl) of the ”Free/Libre/Open Works Management Syllabus” to Version 2.0 as a generic community asset for ongoing extension and evolution under auspices of the OSI Management Education Working Group. Results can, of course, be used in academic studies.

This initial mini-survey may lead to consideration and planning of a broader questionnaire by the OSI Management Education Working Group. For the moment, it will include only a small number of:

Managers of major free/libre/open source software projects or portfolios or foundations;
Business management educators with awareness of free/libre/open business models;
Academic theorists of project management with awareness of free/libre/open business models.

Alignment to OSI Mission

This working group serves the OSI's educational mission through the discovery and contribution of evidence towards best practice in the adoption and management of free/libre/open source software. Surveying managers and management educators communities will help improve the public understanding generally, and decision-makers at all levels in many kinds of organizations (not just IT), about the benefits of the range of free/libre/open source approaches, and will serve as contribution to further research.

The target groups identified for the survey represent key decision-makers in the assessment and adoption of free/libre/open source software.

Initial Group Members

Community Members
- Working Group Chair:
  Joseph Potvin, [email protected]
OSI Representatives
- Working Group Sponsor:
  Mike Milinkovich, [email protected]
- OSI Outreach and Learning Committee Chair:
  Tony Wasserman, [email protected]
- OSI General Manager,
  Patrick Masson, [email protected]
Others

Resourcing (mailing list, virtual server, budget etc)

Referrals for candidate interviewees from OSI Directors, staff and members.
- OSI time: 5 hours
- OSI costs: $0.00
Email generation, distribution and forwarding for communicating related interview requests and referrals.
- OSI time: 1 hour
- OSI costs: $0.00
File/web server space to upload and distribute deliverables.
- OSI time: 2 hours
- OSI costs: $0.00

Deliverable(s)

Survey results (raw data) from interviews and questionnaires (respondent identities will not be associated with responses)
Survey analysis
Project notes and related resources
Academic research paper

Completion Date/Milestones

22-27 Nov 2013: Recruitment of 14 interviewees;
22-27 Nov 2013: Finalization of questionnaire/interview protocol;
27 Nov-3 Dec 2013: 14 questionnaire/interviews conducted;
5 Jan 2014: Version 1.0 paper submitted with UQuebec advisors for initial (academic) review;
8 Jan 2014: Version 2.0 paper shared with WG Members for review;
12 Jan 2014: Version 2.1 paper shared with the 14 respondents for review
To receive a pre-publication copy of the most recent version for review and feedback, please contact <[email protected]>

Sustainability

OSI staff responsibilities

Suggest references and provide contact information to Joseph Potvin for potential interviewees.

OSI infrastructure needs

Web hosting of Working Group related artifacts, i.e. survey results and analysis, interview notes, completed questionnaires, links to resources, etc.

Ongoing member community

None.

Ongoing budgeting/revenue