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Open Source Activities

This section describes common activities performed by staff involved in the consumption or contribution of open source software. Where possible, we identify the role performing this activity.

The Activities​

For easy navigation, the activities are broken down by the 5 levels of the Maturity Model.

Level 1: Ad-Hoc Usage​

Using Open Source Software

Using open source software within a financial services organisation poses unique challenges. This article outlines some of the potential pitfalls and solutions when getting started.

Level 2: Compliance​

Compliant Open Source Consumption

Using open source within regulated organisations must be done in accordance with the policies and procedures in place to control risks and adhere to regulation. In this article we will look at:

Software Inventory

Software inventory is a precondition to most of the activities involved in OSMM level 2. The first step to licence compliance or supply chain security is to understand what software is in your estate.

Open Source Supply Chain Security

In this article we are going to look at the growing issue of software supply chain attacks via some examples and then look at the emerging field of open source supply chain security: what it is, current best practices, the institutional landscape and emerging legislation.

Open Source Consumption Training

This guide is intended to help OSPOs of all maturity levels build an open source training course that is created with purpose to deliver impact. Whether your OSPO recently launched or is looking into re-doing the firms open source training, this guide will provide ideas and content that can be implemented to a comprehensive open source training course.

Level 3: Contribution​

Making The Case For Contribution

Organisational change can be very hard to achieve since organisations are naturally protective of themselves and the status quo. Setting up an OSPO and beginning an open source journey will seem like a risky and dangerous proposition for many parts of an organisation.

Ensuring Open Source Compliance For Contribution

Contributing to an open source project from within a regulated firm is likely to contravene one or more policies. Staff who contribute to open source as part of their jobs are likely to be in breach of their terms of employment or likely to get disciplined. For this reason, in order to enable open source contribution, new policy needs to be written which creates space within the compliance landscape.

Open Source Contribution Training

It is generally preferable if an Open Source Contribution Policy can be enforced via tooling (so called policy as code). However, often policy will refer to behaviours and expectations of staff which cannot be controlled through systems. In these cases, training courses will be needed to help promote desired behaviours.

Surveillance Processes

This article looks at the best practices around surveillance (of communications) to enable open source contribution.

Publication Processes

This article looks at the best practices around publication (of code) to enable open source contribution.

Fostering Community Engagement

Within the Open Source Ecosystem, millions of projects exist and some of the projects are duplicate efforts. The open source community is vast and sometimes very hard to reach.

Building an Open Source Culture

When people think about open source, most often they think about the engineering aspects: contributing or consuming code. But community and culture are a central part of the open source world and should not be overlooked.

Managing Open Source Talent

Managing talent in financial institutions is crucial because the quality, motivation, and expertise of their workforce directly influence the institutions' ability to innovate, maintain a competitive edge, comply with regulatory requirements, and ultimately drive financial performance and growth.

Level 4: Hosting​

Maintaining An Open Source Project

We currently live in a world where OSS is everywhere, consumable, helpful and can make a positive or negative outcome on the programs we rely on. Strong open source projects can lessen technical debt, increase reusability and discoverability. For the purpose of this guide, we will cover some key principles and practices for managing your open source project effectively.

Open Source Foundations

This article describes the importance of interacting with open source foundations, the roles they perform and ways in which your organisation can make the most of them.

Incubating With An Open Source Foundation

Incubating an open source project within a foundation offers numerous benefits which includes increased visibility, community support, and access to resources that can propel your project to new heights.

Level 5: Leadership​

Leveraging Open Source as a Strategy

OSMM Level 5 is about Strategy. At this level, you seek to make decisions that shape the technology landscape in your favor to create new opportunities.

Why Open-Source a Firm Project?

Just as there are many reasons to contribute to open source projects, it is the same when it comes to a financial institution deciding to open-source. However, the reasoning behind might be different.