Skip to content

Template for 1:1 Campus Consultations §

Pattern Summary §

Use a standard template for individual consultations to understand an open source project’s status, its challenges, how it’s resourced and critical next steps.

Problem / Challenge §

Academic OSPOs may be constrained by the number of individual consultations/office hours they can offer. OSPO staff need a structure to mitigate against:

  • Conversational drift.
  • Focus on a project’s interests rather than on their strategic or resource needs.
  • Critical areas being overlooked in the short timeframe.
  • Lack of clarity about next steps and the roles responsible for those steps
  • An inconsistent approach to consultations.

Pattern Category §

Below is a list of common categories of academic OSPO activities - please choose which apply:

  • Building University OSS Community
  • Sharing OSS Best Practices
  • Working with Tech Transfer / External Partners
  • Supporting OSS development
  • Funding & Financial Support

Context §

A university with diverse departments of varying levels of OSS expertise and needs.

There is inconsistent awareness about the role of OSS standards in improving scientific quality and generating results that are reproducible and trustworthy.

There is inconsistent awareness of OSS license management and compliance with institutional and IP policies.

An OSPO with the resources/capacity to offer one-to-one consultations and any required follow-up work.

Forces §

OSPO staff have the capacity/availability to meet for consultations and to provide follow-up support.

Solution §

Develop a template that guides the OSPO to explore some or all of the following areas within the meeting timeframe:

  • Basic contact information, website links and/or repository details.
  • Project context and project description.
  • The project’s stage of development.
  • Current challenges and priorities.
  • Resourcing needs.
  • Next steps for the project.
  • Follow-up support to be offered by the OSPO.

Resulting Context §

Academic OSPOs have a consultation template that serves as a: - Diagnostic tool for open source projects. - Framework that supports students, researchers and faculty at different points of open source development to deepen their understanding of their needs and objectives. - A structured knowledge base that enables OSPO staff to provide meaningful and consistent support. - A consistent and comparable record of consultations.

Additional Learning from Carnegie Mellon University OSPO §

We use two templates to guide conversation with projects and to assess their needs. The intention is to offer formats that could be used individually or combined to adapt to the learning and interaction styles of any group.

The first template is in the form of a slide deck that allows for a collaborative workshop model akin to ‘virtual post-it notes’ for more visual and collaborative groups.

The second template is a more traditional google doc for individuals who prefer a longer form, written style.

Known Instances §

References §

Individual Consultations/Office Hours

Contributors & Acknowledgement §

(in alphabetical order) * Ciara Flanagan, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3153-7673 * Duane O'Brien consulted on the design of the CMU OSPO project consultation template * Tom Hughes (Carnegie Mellon University), https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7516-3687