What does it mean being an Open Source project manager

in EnterpriseOpen Source Edition

LinuxCon2009 (Business)September 23, 2009Toshiharu Harada

<haradats@gmail.com>TOMOYO Linux Project

Image of Enterprise(outlook)

Classified

Image of Open Source(outlook)

Image of Enterprise(inside)

Image of Enterprise(inside)

Image of Open Source(inside)

Image of Open Source(inside)

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Simply Impossible

STOP

However

• If you are an project manager in Enterprise

• There should not be a word “impossible”

• so

Manage it!

• This may happen on you tomorrow

• This presentation is for you

• Believe me

Conclusion

• What does it mean being an Open Source project manager in Enterprise?

• Being a bridge of two fundamentally different worlds and keep the balance

• Let’s take a look at examples

Stage 1

Q1

Your company has the state of the art of firewall and protect communications except http and https

A developer said to you that he could not work if git and ssh do not work

What do you do?

A1

1.Crack the firewall

2.Do uploading and managing tasks at home

3.Buy an device to directly connect to the internet

Q

You could not find an rule for making software open source

What do you do?

A

Quit (you are not authorized to quit your project)

Work hard to add a new rule

Q

How can I add a new rule in my company?

A

Good point!

Inspect it, first

Q

Our codes are now open source

As the license of our program is GPL2, all we have to do is release it, am I right?

A

Deadly wrong

As your project is a part of Enterprise, every actions require approval

Get an approval for the release

Q

I don’t really understand

Why do I need an approval for the software that is no guarantee?

A

Think yourself if you want to think

E-mail me if you find a good solution

Stage 2

Leadership of Enterprise project

Leadership of Enterprise project

• Project manager is the leader

• He makes the decision

• Each member has his task

• Project manager does “management”

Leadership of Open Source project

• Project members are virtually isolated in Enterprise

• Matters of the project are now his matters

Leadership of Open Source project

• Project manager is inherited every ordinary roles and tasks for Enterprise

• He no longer focuses on “management” and has to deal with tasks himself

Leadership of Open Source project

• Hierarchy vanishes and new relationship is born

• There’s no manual

• Having your principle helps

Leadership of Open Source project

• In my case

• There are certain kinds of tasks development members are not good at

• Planning, documentation, communication with community ...

• I tried to do those tasks even when I was not good at or I had no idea

Motivation Matters

• In ordinary Enterprise project, motivation may not be necessary to complete tasks

• I noticed that in Open Source project, motivation is crucial

• Keeping project members self-motivated is the most important task for project manager

Motivation Matters

• It is important for a project manager to be self-motivated

• How to do that?

• Recalling the role periodically

• Viewing highly-motivated person

My Recommendations

• Live with your mission

• Twenty Four series

• Learn about what is leadership and the loneliness of a leader

• CSI

• Criminal Minds

Stage 3

Miraculous Power

Changes

• In my case of “TOMOYO Linux” project, we have proposed patches as many as 15 times

• It took about two years to be merged

• We kept failing for two years

• I’ve observed some internal changes in us

• When proposed patches are rejected, we were very sad (of course)

• But we didn’t think about quitting the challenge ourselves

• There was a calm fire in each of us and we were bound to each other with the goal

• We believed in what we were doing

• Motivation, collaboration and most importantly experiences have changed us greatly

• Through interactions with community, we have learned to communicate

Measuring Self

stage 4Project members

Toshiharu(project manager)

Kentaro(LSM version)

Tetsuo(main architect)

Interview with Michael Collins (Apollo 11)

• Q. Circling the lonely moon by yourself, the loneliest person in the universe, weren't you lonely?

• A. No (continued)

• "... I can say with truth and equanimity that I am perfectly satisfied with the one I have. This venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two. I don't mean to deny a feeling of solitude. It is there, reinforced by the fact that radio contact with the Earth abruptly cuts off at the instant I disappear behind the moon, I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it. If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on this side."

• My role was very complicated

• I sometimes felt I was alone

• But I’m glad I could play my role and served a project

• Tetsuo and Kentaro have grown up to be astronauts of Linux kenrel

• I’m still on the ground and got a new mission to make TOMOYO business

• So my voyage will continue ...

• Now I know why and how Linux is great

• People are great

• I’m glad and proud to participate the universe of open source

Thank you