You’ve likely heard of an OSPO (open-source program office) – a small, tactical team within a much larger tech organization. While the vast majority of that company’s engineers (sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands) work toward company goals, the OSPO works on the sidelines to block-and-tackle all the fine print that comes with making open-source contributions.
In this session you will hear the story of the OSPO team at Aiven, an OSPO team that is a bit different, whose main mission is to ensure the sustainability of external OSS projects. Many organizations give financial support to OSS communities and that's a great starting point, but communities are about people more than about money.
You'll gain insight into the origins and mission of the OSPO, the scope of its activities and how Aiven measures success and hires for roles like these. Starting a new department like this one isn't easy, so I will also share the pitfalls and other hazards, and how we tackled those challenges. This session is recommended for anyone curious about building an outbound OSPO like ours, with a focus on 3rd party OSS.