Create a lightweight governance model

InnerSource governance is about decision-making.

1. What kind of decisions must be made?
2. Why is the decision important?
3. When does each decision happen?
4. Who ⏤or which role ⏤makes decisions?
5. Where in the product development and delivery lifecycle does a decision occur?
6. How is each decision made and recorded?
7. To what extent or degree does a decision affect the project/product?

Definition of "governance model"

A governance model defines decisions, as well as who or what role, when, where, how, and why those decisions are made during your InnerSource project's development and delivery lifecycle.

Governance models support InnerSource project longevity

An InnerSource project can flourish when:

1. Consumers use the product.
2. Contributors (who are almost always consumers) work on the product.
3. Maintainers (who are experienced contributors) govern product development and delivery.

It is important to encourage consumers to become contributors, who in turn become maintainers. This flow is called the contribution conversion funnel.

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An effective governance supports product development and delivery with a decision-making framework that encourages contributor and maintainer conversions.

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How to create a governance model

1. Map your product development and delivery workflow into stages.
2. Identify what decisions people make at each stage.
3. Etc.