Slides of the presentation for the panel "Applying the principles of knowledge commons governance in practical frameworks for community-driven stewardship of digital resources" at Knowledge Commons Conference 2021

1. unsplash/BrodyChilds

2. Life in Open Source Project Development

3. Life in Open Source Project Development

4. Life in Open Source Project Development

5. Life in Open Source Project Development

6. Life in Open Source Project Development

7. Life in Open Source Project Development

8. SustainOSS
sustainer — the individual or organization
who is concerned with the current state and
future of highly-used and impactful open
source projects
…cultural shift in how we think about the
sustainability of open source software…

9. Working Groups
How can we guide developers to create
efficient governance models?
Governance Guidance
How can we give back to OSS projects that
we already use at our work?...
Back your Stack
Who writes, uses, and updates the docs?
What do sustainable-first docs look like?
Docs
How can we make open source design and
user experience sustainable, too?
Design and UX
Is Open Source ethical? What are the
ramifications of bad actors in open source
Ethics
How does sustainability relate to academic
and specialized projects?
Academic and Specialized Projects
There's no current database of how much
money goes into open source: let’s build it
Open Source Founders
How can we best harness the power of
contributors in open source?
Motivating Contributors
What do models of membership look like for
organisations developing FLOSS?
Membership models for OSS
How can we ensure that a new open source
project is born sustainable?
Sustainability Readiness
What does it take to be an open source
leader?
Leadership Development
What does healhty governance look like?
How can we improve our day-to-day work
Governance Readiness
How can we apply Elinor Ostrom’s research
to the world of open source?
Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
What are the core set of principles for what
authentic participation means?
Principles of Authentic Participation
How can the Open Source ecosystem
respond to Covid-19?
FOSS Responders
Concluded Groups
Incubation
Running
…
…
…

10. Working Groups
How can we guide developers to create
efficient governance models?
Governance Guidance
How can we give back to OSS projects that
we already use at our work?...
Back your Stack
Who writes, uses, and updates the docs?
What do sustainable-first docs look like?
Docs
How can we make open source design and
user experience sustainable, too?
Design and UX
Is Open Source ethical? What are the
ramifications of bad actors in open source
Ethics
How does sustainability relate to academic
and specialized projects?
Academic and Specialized Projects
There's no current database of how much
money goes into open source: let’s build it
Open Source Founders
How can we best harness the power of
contributors in open source?
Motivating Contributors
What do models of membership look like for
organisations developing FLOSS?
Membership models for OSS
How can we ensure that a new open source
project is born sustainable?
Sustainability Readiness
What does it take to be an open source
leader?
Leadership Development
What does healhty governance look like?
How can we improve our day-to-day work
Governance Readiness
How can we apply Elinor Ostrom’s research
to the world of open source?
Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
What are the core set of principles for what
authentic participation means?
Principles of Authentic Participation
How can the Open Source ecosystem
respond to Covid-19?
FOSS Responders
Concluded Groups
Incubation
Running
…
…
…

11. Working Groups
How can we guide developers to create
efficient governance models?
Governance Guidance
How can we give back to OSS projects that
we already use at our work?...
Back your Stack
Who writes, uses, and updates the docs?
What do sustainable-first docs look like?
Docs
How can we make open source design and
user experience sustainable, too?
Design and UX
Is Open Source ethical? What are the
ramifications of bad actors in open source
Ethics
How does sustainability relate to academic
and specialized projects?
Academic and Specialized Projects
There's no current database of how much
money goes into open source: let’s build it
Open Source Founders
How can we best harness the power of
contributors in open source?
Motivating Contributors
What do models of membership look like for
organisations developing FLOSS?
Membership models for OSS
How can we ensure that a new open source
project is born sustainable?
Sustainability Readiness
What does it take to be an open source
leader?
Leadership Development
What does healhty governance look like?
How can we improve our day-to-day work
Governance Readiness
How can we apply Elinor Ostrom’s research
to the world of open source?
Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
What are the core set of principles for what
authentic participation means?
Principles of Authentic Participation
How can the Open Source ecosystem
respond to Covid-19?
FOSS Responders
Concluded Groups
Incubation
Running
…
…
…

12. GOVERNANCE READINESS ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Javier Cánovas
PURPOSE Defining a methodology to identify and deploy healthy governance models.
GOAL
Create a checklist to verify whether open source projects are ready to
deploy some kind of governance (or to change their current governance for
a healthy one).

13. GOVERNANCE READINESS ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Javier Cánovas
PURPOSE Defining a methodology to identify and deploy healthy governance models.
GOAL
Create a checklist to verify whether open source projects are ready to
deploy some kind of governance (or to change their current governance for
a healthy one).
COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES & OSTROM REDUX ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Greg Bloom
PURPOSE
Developing the Principles of Open Source Commons Governance
Revise this ‘Principles of Open Source Community Design’ document into a
shareable artifact
Develop a matrix that applies the principles to a set of layers of types of
resources
GOAL

14. GOVERNANCE READINESS ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Javier Cánovas
PURPOSE Defining a methodology to identify and deploy healthy governance models.
GOAL
Create a checklist to verify whether open source projects are ready to
deploy some kind of governance (or to change their current governance for
a healthy one).
COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES & OSTROM REDUX ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Greg Bloom
PURPOSE
Developing the Principles of Open Source Commons Governance
Revise this ‘Principles of Open Source Community Design’ document into a
shareable artifact
Develop a matrix that applies the principles to a set of layers of types of
resources
GOAL

15. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification

16. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020

17. SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next
Governance Readiness

18. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Question Mapping Exercise
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next

19. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Question Mapping Exercise
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next
Poll to prioritize questions
15 participants

20. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Question Mapping Exercise
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next
Poll to prioritize questions
Review poll results, decide what to do next

21. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Question Mapping Exercise
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next
Poll to prioritize questions
Review poll results, decide what to do next
Website development
https://sustainers.github.io/governance-readiness/

22. Governance Readiness
SustainOSS
Kick-off
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Review
Milestone 3
Closing
Meetings Notification
Main event at Brussels 2020
Question Mapping Exercise
Review output from Brussels event, conform a
working group and decide what to do next
Poll to prioritize questions
Review poll results, decide what to do next
Website development
Review outcome of the Working group

23. Examples of Questions
DAY-TO-DAY
Questions regarding governance that
you may have to face when
developing OSS projects
BARRIERS & NEEDS
Challenges you may have to face
when dealing with governance
definition and management
INTERVENTIONS
Possible actions to apply changes
related to governance issues in OSS
projects

24. Examples of Questions
DAY-TO-DAY
Questions regarding governance that
you may have to face when
developing OSS projects
BARRIERS & NEEDS
Challenges you may have to face
when dealing with governance
definition and management
INTERVENTIONS
Possible actions to apply changes
related to governance issues in OSS
projects

25. Examples of Questions
DAY-TO-DAY
Questions regarding governance that
you may have to face when
developing OSS projects
BARRIERS & NEEDS
Challenges you may have to face
when dealing with governance
definition and management
INTERVENTIONS
Possible actions to apply changes
related to governance issues in OSS
projects

26. Examples of Questions
DAY-TO-DAY
Questions regarding governance that
you may have to face when
developing OSS projects
BARRIERS & NEEDS
Challenges you may have to face
when dealing with governance
definition and management
INTERVENTIONS
Possible actions to apply changes
related to governance issues in OSS
projects

27. GOVERNANCE READINESS ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Javier Cánovas
PURPOSE Defining a methodology to identify and deploy healthy governance models.
GOAL
Create a checklist to verify whether open source projects are ready to
deploy some kind of governance (or to change their current governance for
a healthy one).
COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES & OSTROM REDUX ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Greg Bloom
PURPOSE
Developing the Principles of Open Source Commons Governance
Revise this ‘Principles of Open Source Community Design’ document into a
shareable artifact
Develop a matrix that applies the principles to a set of layers of types of
resources
GOAL

28. GOVERNANCE READINESS ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Javier Cánovas
PURPOSE Defining a methodology to identify and deploy healthy governance models.
GOAL
Create a checklist to verify whether open source projects are ready to
deploy some kind of governance (or to change their current governance for
a healthy one).
COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES & OSTROM REDUX ─ BOTTOM-LINER: Greg Bloom
PURPOSE
Developing the Principles of Open Source Commons Governance
Revise this ‘Principles of Open Source Community Design’ document into a
shareable artifact
Develop a matrix that applies the principles to a set of layers of types of
resources
GOAL

29. Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
CLEARLY DEFINED BOUNDARIES
Individuals who have rights to appropriate resources
must be clearly defined, as must the boundaries of the
resource itself.
As a commoner I clearly understand for which
resources I need to care for and with whom I share this
responsibility. Commons resources are those that we
create together, that we maintain as gifts whose use
has been guaranteed to everyone.
We clearly articulate the purpose of our project (i.e. our
vision, mission, and scope) as well as our values and
principles (i.e. the good we manifest in the world, and
the way we do our work). We are guided by our purpose
and principles in all that we do.
ELINOR
OSTROM
SILKE
HELFRICH
OSS
ADAPTATION

30. Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
PROJECT CODE DOCUMENTATION COMMUNITY
MAINTAINER
TIME
TRADEMARK
BOUNDARY
What is our
misión
?
Where is the
Project
documented? ? Who are the
maintainers
What is the
Project’ branc?
RULES
What should
happen in
specific
situations?
? ?
How are
newcomers
onboarded? ? ?
… … … … … … …

31. Joining efforts
How can we guide developers to create
efficient governance models?
Governance Guidance
What does healhty governance look like?
How can we improve our day-to-day work
Governance Readiness
How can we apply Elinor Ostrom’s research
to the world of open source?
Community Principles & Ostrom Redux
+

32. Questions in Ostrom’s framework

33. Questions in Ostrom’s framework

34. Conclusion
• Matrix of Leading Questions to Support Communities in Developing Governance
Models
What we have shown
What we want to do next
• Ostrom’s IAD as a framework to put into context, order and group the different
questions
• Promote the matrix and collect feedback to fix and adjust the questions
• Study how answers to these questions can be use to define a specific
governance model
• Define metrics to automatically address the questions
• Integration with other initiatives such as CommunityRule

35. Thanks!
Except where otherwise noted, content on this presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Javier L. Cánovas Izquierdo
jcanovasi@uoc.edu
@jlcanovas