Understanding the InnerSource Checklist

Chapter 9. Appendix

The Actual Checklist

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the task of starting an InnerSource project, much less taking your organization through the transition to a true InnerSource or open source company. PayPal has drawn a checklist from its own experiences and the experiences of colleagues in other companies making the transition. We present it here to help organize and focus what you need to do. Certainly, following the checklist slavishly will not produce success. Every organization needs to undertake investigations, discussions, and cultural change in order to benefit from InnerSource. But keeping this checklist in front of you can help reassure you that you’re making progress.

This report was inspired by both the GNU Manifesto and Checklist Manifesto. We hope to inspire you to take at least a small step toward InnerSource and creating your own checklist and sharing it with us. The Apache Way was an important inspiration for the team, and you will spot similarities in this list.

• Readiness

  • Personal

    • Do you believe this is a viable strategy for your company, or are you just doing it out of ideological commitment and idealism?

    • Do you understand the changes required to be successful at InnerSource?

    • Are you skillful at presenting ideas to others, listening to their concerns, and finding common ground without bias?

  • Project

    • Does this project matter to the company? Is it likely to survive strategy changes?

    • Appropriateness

      • Is this project likely to be interesting ...