Builder.com: Open Source Projects Require Reality Check

“If you think managing projects is a challenge, try working with
volunteers who have no set schedule, and whom you likely have never
met face-to-face. As more businesses become curious about running
or engaging in open source initiatives, a realistic approach to
managing such efforts is needed. Open team project management can
be difficult, and when trying to collaborate with developers who
are apt to vote with their feet, anything can change at any
moment.

“Standard project management methodologies are not always
applicable, and open source endeavors spanning huge geographic
areas make critical collaboration points, such as version control,
bug tracking, and communication forums, essential to the
cohesiveness of a team. Successful guidance of a team in an open
environment requires diplomacy, experience, and an unwavering focus
on direction. If you fail to supply the right amount of each, your
project could take unexpected turns, with desired functionality
left incomplete, or the project may be abandoned altogether…”

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