Most growing companies need open source strategy but aren’t ready for a full-time OSPO. That’s where OSPO++ comes in—fractional Open Source Program Office leadership that gives you enterprise-level open source strategy without enterprise-level overhead.

As a core contributor to Rocky Linux, OpenStack-Ansible, and various Fedora/EPEL projects, I bring hands-on experience from both sides: building sustainable open source communities and helping companies navigate open source strategically.

What is OSPO++?

OSPO++ is my approach to fractional Open Source Program Office services. It’s everything a traditional OSPO provides—strategy, governance, compliance, community building—but delivered as a strategic consulting engagement rather than a full-time hire.

Perfect For:

  • Series A-C companies building on or contributing to open source
  • Enterprise teams launching new open source initiatives
  • Engineering organizations needing InnerSource strategy
  • M&A activities requiring open source due diligence

Not Ready For a Full OSPO? Most companies aren’t. OSPO++ gives you strategic guidance when you need it, without the overhead of hiring specialized staff before you’re ready.

Fractional OSPO Services

Strategic Planning & Roadmap

  • Open Source Strategy Development: Align open source activities with business objectives and competitive positioning
  • Contribution Strategy: Determine which projects to contribute to, how much to invest, and expected returns
  • Community Investment Planning: Strategic resource allocation for maintainer time, event sponsorships, and community building
  • Risk Assessment: Evaluate open source dependencies, license compatibility, and supply chain risks

Governance & Compliance

  • License Strategy: Navigate complex licensing decisions for commercial open source products
  • Policy Development: Create contribution guidelines, security policies, and IP management frameworks
  • Compliance Frameworks: Establish processes for license scanning, vulnerability management, and supply chain security
  • Foundation Readiness: Prepare projects for Apache Software Foundation, CNCF, or other foundation homes

Community Building & Management

  • Contributor Experience Design: Create onboarding flows that turn first-time contributors into long-term maintainers
  • Maintainer Success Programs: Reduce burnout and improve retention through structured support and recognition
  • Community Health Metrics: Establish KPIs that matter for sustainable community growth
  • Event Strategy: Plan conference presence, meetups, and community events that drive meaningful engagement

InnerSource Consulting

Internal Open Source Programs

Transform how your engineering teams collaborate by applying open source practices internally:

  • InnerSource Platform Setup: GitLab, GitHub Enterprise, or Gitea configurations optimized for internal collaboration
  • Contribution Workflows: Design code review, documentation, and collaboration processes that scale across teams
  • Community Guidelines: Internal codes of conduct, contribution standards, and project governance models
  • Metrics & Success Measurement: Track inner source adoption, code reuse, and cross-team collaboration improvements

Cultural Transformation

  • Open Source Training: Educate engineering teams on open source best practices, licensing, and contribution etiquette
  • Leadership Alignment: Help executives understand open source ROI and strategic value
  • Process Integration: Merge open source practices with existing SDLC, security, and compliance workflows

Open Source Due Diligence

M&A Support

When acquiring companies or being acquired, open source can create significant value or risk:

  • Dependency Analysis: Comprehensive audit of open source components, licenses, and obligations
  • Community Asset Evaluation: Assess the value of open source projects, maintainer relationships, and community reputation
  • Risk Mitigation: Identify potential license conflicts, security vulnerabilities, and compliance gaps
  • Integration Planning: Strategic planning for combining open source programs and communities post-acquisition

Investment Due Diligence

  • Technical Asset Review: Evaluate open source codebases for quality, sustainability, and competitive advantage
  • Community Health Assessment: Analyze contributor diversity, maintainer burnout risk, and community governance maturity
  • Commercial Viability: Assess open source business models, competitive positioning, and growth potential

Industry-Specific Expertise

Technology & Software Companies

  • Commercial Open Source Strategy: Balance community building with revenue generation
  • Developer Relations: Align DevRel efforts with open source community strategy
  • Product Open Source Integration: Strategic decisions about which components to open source vs. keep proprietary

Biotech & Life Sciences

  • Research Collaboration: Use open source to accelerate research while protecting IP
  • Regulatory Compliance: Navigate FDA and other regulatory requirements for open source medical software
  • Scientific Reproducibility: Implement open source practices that support reproducible research

Advanced Manufacturing

  • Industrial IoT Open Source: Strategic use of open source in connected manufacturing systems
  • Supply Chain Collaboration: Use open source standards for supplier and customer integration
  • Security & Compliance: Balance open source benefits with manufacturing security requirements

Real-World Experience

Rocky Linux Infrastructure Leadership

As co-lead of Rocky Linux infrastructure, I’ve helped build and scale one of the fastest-growing enterprise Linux distributions:

  • Community Scaling: Grew from 0 to 20,000+ community members in 18 months
  • Global Infrastructure: Designed and deployed worldwide build and distribution infrastructure
  • Foundation Governance: Helped establish Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation governance model
  • Enterprise Adoption: Supported migration of CentOS users to Rocky Linux across Fortune 500 companies

OpenStack & Fedora Contributions

Core reviewer and maintainer experience across multiple large-scale open source projects:

  • OpenStack-Ansible: Core reviewer for enterprise OpenStack deployment tooling
  • Fedora & EPEL: Package maintainer and community contributor
  • Cross-Project Collaboration: Experience working across different foundation models and governance structures

Engagement Models

Monthly Strategic Retainer

  • 4-8 hours monthly: Perfect for ongoing strategic guidance and policy development
  • Quarterly strategy reviews: Align open source activities with business evolution
  • Ad-hoc consultation: Access to expertise for urgent decisions or opportunities
  • $2,000-4,000/month depending on scope and complexity

Project-Based Engagements

  • OSPO Setup & Launch: 2-3 month engagement to establish initial processes and strategy
  • Community Health Assessment: Comprehensive evaluation of existing open source programs
  • InnerSource Implementation: 3-6 month program to establish internal open source practices
  • Foundation Readiness: Prepare projects for foundation donation with governance, legal, and technical requirements

Crisis Response & Due Diligence

  • M&A Due Diligence: Rapid assessment of open source assets and risks
  • License Compliance Crisis: Emergency support for compliance issues or violations
  • Community Crisis Management: Strategic response to maintainer burnout, governance disputes, or security incidents
  • $500-700/hour for urgent, high-stakes engagements

Getting Started

Open source strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Let’s start with understanding your specific situation, goals, and constraints.

Initial Consultation Includes:

  • Current State Assessment: Review existing open source usage, contributions, and policies
  • Strategic Alignment: Understand how open source fits with business objectives
  • Resource Planning: Determine appropriate investment level and timeline
  • Success Metrics: Define KPIs that matter for your business and engineering culture

Schedule OSPO Strategy Consultation → Email Me Instead →

Fractional OSPO services for technology companies that need enterprise-level open source strategy without enterprise-level overhead. Based in Bedford, MA, serving the Route 128 tech corridor and beyond.