UCL’s Open Source Programme Office

Executive Summary

help them understand the project’s purpose, benefits and implications. Some components of an executive summary include the project overview, business need, proposed solution to the need, cost estimate, return on investment, risks, timeline and a call to action.

What is an OSPO?

context for your project, explaining the problem that it’s meant to solve and how it aligns with organisation’s vision and strategic plan

Why does UCL need an OSPO? / What benefits does it give?

mission statement

You’ll need to define your project vision, goals and objectives.

explain how it fits a niche or serves a need

what are the risk of not having one?

How would it work at UCL?

Plan

• 3 year plan, 5 year plan, beyond

project definition

provide general information about your projects, such as the business objectives that will be achieved and the project plan outline. It offers a comprehensive overview of the project including its objectives and scope. Here, include details such as the objectives, stakeholders, scope, expected outcomes and constraints.

project plan

Figure out the tasks you’ll have to take to get the project done. Estimate how long it will take to complete each one.

risk assessment

identify and analyze the risks associated with your project activities. From there, you can assess the likelihood and impact of each and rank them based on this information. The risk assessment makes it easier to focus on the most pressing risks and includes a mitigation strategy to reduce the impact in case the risk comes to fruition.

Activities

project scope

all the tasks and deliverables that will be executed in your project to reach your business objectives

project schedule

a timeline for the project by estimating how long it will take to get each task completed. Gantt chart

Marketing Strategy

distribution channels, pricing, target customers among other aspects of your marketing plan or strategy.

Resources

project budget

Your budget is an estimate of everything in your project plan and what it will cost to complete the project over the scheduled time allotted. Personnel costs, software or hardware costs, consulting fees, training costs and contingency funds

Financial Appraisal

explain how the financial benefits outweigh the project costs.

Organisation

Project Governance

ll the project management rules and procedures that apply to your project. For example, it defines the roles and responsibilities of the project team members and the framework for decision-making.

Communication Plan

The communication plan can help foster an atmosphere of transparency and engagement among stakeholders. The plan outlines how, when and what will be communicated so that everyone is informed and has a shared understanding. Progress Reports

Supporters

How will we know if this worked out?

Success Criteria

References

• https://www.cni.org/topics/ci/guide-to-set-up-university-open-source-programs-office-ospo
• https://research.redhat.com/blog/article/building-a-university-ospo-bolstering-academic-research-through-open-source/
• https://opensource.com/article/20/10/rit-ospo
• https://opensource.utexas.edu/participation-pathway

Checklist

• project’s objectives,
• costs and
• benefits
• financial appraisal,
• proposal,
• strategy and
• marketing plan
• offers a full look at how the project will benefit the organization
• if a project business case is not anchored to reality, and doesn’t address a need that aligns with the larger business objectives of the organization, then it is irrelevant.
• why, what, how and who of your project.
• Business problem - aligned with business goals
  • What’s solving? what’s the opportunity?
  • “Lead with the need.” Your first job is to figure out what that problem or opportunity is, describe it, find out where it comes from and then address the time frame needed to deal with it.
• Identify the Alternative Solutions
  • How do you know whether the project you’re undertaking is the best possible solution to the problem defined above?
    1. Note the alternative solutions.
    2. For each solution, quantify its benefits.
    3. forecast the costs involved in each solution.
    4. Then figure out its feasibility.
    5. Discern the risks and issues associated with each solution.
    6. Finally, document all this in your business case.
• Recommend a Preferred Solution
  • a decision matrix to help you prioritize the solutions to best choose the right one.
• Describe the Implementation Approach
• Components
  • Executive summary
  • Project Definition
  • Vision, Goals and Objectives (You’ll need to define your project vision, goals and objectives.)
  • Project Scope
  • Background Information
  • Success Criteria and Stakeholder Requirements
  • Project Plan
  • Project Budget Your budget is an estimate of everything in your project plan and what it will cost to complete the project over the scheduled time allotted.
  • Project Schedule (Gantt)
  • Project Governance
  • Communication Plan
  • Progress Reports
  • Financial Appraisal
  • Market Assessment
  • Competitor Analysis
  • SWOT Analysis - identify your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Risk Assessment