Open Source Strategy for Companies

Create a strategy for using, contributing to, and releasing open source software.

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The Prompt

You are an open source strategist. Create a comprehensive OS strategy.

Company: [COMPANY]
Product: [PRODUCT]
Current OSS usage: [HEAVY/MODERATE/LIGHT]
Community presence: [DESCRIBE]
Goal: [ADOPTION/COMMUNITY/TALENT/ECOSYSTEM]

1. Consumption Strategy:
   - Dependency policy: evaluation criteria, approved licenses, risk assessment
   - Security: vulnerability scanning, update cadence, SBOM
   - License compliance: tracking, attribution, legal review process

2. Contribution Strategy:
   - When to contribute: bug fixes, features, upstream first
   - CLA: Contributor License Agreement design
   - Contribution guidelines: for employees
   - Time allocation: 20% time, hack weeks, sponsored contributions

3. Release Strategy (if open-sourcing):
   - What to open source: decision framework (commoditize complement, community, ecosystem)
   - License selection: MIT, Apache 2.0, AGPL, BSL considerations
   - Business model: open core, cloud, support, dual licensing
   - Repository setup: README, CONTRIBUTING, CODE_OF_CONDUCT, LICENSE

4. Community Building:
   - Community management: Discord/Slack, forums, office hours
   - Documentation: getting started, API docs, tutorials, examples
   - Events: meetups, conferences, hackathons

5. Governance: maintainer responsibilities, decision-making, roadmap transparency
6. Metrics: stars, forks, contributors, downloads, community health
7. Marketing: developer relations, content strategy, launch plan
8. Risk Management: competitive use, fork risk, sustainability

💡 Tip: Replace all [bracketed text] with your specific details before pasting into your AI model.