OSPO Workplan §
Pattern Summary §
A structured work plan covering the first years of an OSPO's operations establishes a new OSPO's credibility with funders and leadership while giving staff a practical roadmap for getting started.
Problem / Challenge §
- New OSPOs, and the people who fund them may lack a shared, concrete picture of what the office will actually do in its early life.
- Funders and senior leadership need to understand what an investment in an OSPO will deliver before they will commit resources but OSPO champions may not yet have the institutional data or relationships needed to produce a highly detailed plan.
- Funding to establish new OSPOs is often short-term with resources limited to one or a few staff. New OSPO staff need to move quickly to show value but foundational activities (stakeholder engagement, needs assessment, strategy) take time and must happen before more visible activities (training, infrastructure, grants) can be effectively delivered.
Context §
Universities and research institutions that are establishing a new OSPO (or formalizing an existing informal effort into a resourced office), in the period before or shortly after initial funding has been secured.
This may include:
- Staff or champions preparing a funding application or business case for an OSPO.
- Senior decision makers (e.g. Provosts, Vice Presidents for Research, library or IT leadership) who need to evaluate a proposed OSPO investment.
- Newly hired OSPO Directors or Program Managers who need a starting structure for their first year(s) in post.
Forces §
- Funding is available to establish an Academic OSPO.
- Funders and decision makers need specific information to allocate resources.
- OSPO champions or staff need a plan that is actionable and fundable but general enough to adapt as the OSPO learns more about its institution's needs during its first year.
Solution §
Create a phased work plan covering the OSPO's first one to two years, structured by year and quarter, that pairs each activity with the objective it serves. This lets both funders and new staff see not just what is being done but why.
A typical plan works through a small number of broad phases over the two years:
- Establish the OSPO: Hire foundational staff, form a stakeholder group, review existing guidance for setting up a university OSPO, conduct a needs assessment, and produce an initial strategic plan.
- Build capacity and infrastructure: Hire additional staff as needed, launch communication channels (such as a website), start training programs, begin work on relevant policies, and deploy the tools and infrastructure the OSPO needs to operate.
- Evaluate and refine: Formally assess progress against the original plan, update the strategic plan based on what has been learned, and use this evaluation to inform the next phase of work.
- Scale and sustain: Expand successful programs, deepen policy and partnership work, and introduce activities that extend the OSPO's reach and long-term sustainability, such as grant or fellowship programs, conferences, or expanded infrastructure offerings.
The table below provides an example work plan from the GW OSPO's first two years of operation. Work plans will vary based on resources and priorities. This OSPO had a broad purview and the staffing included a PI, a Faculty Director (summer stipend), a full time director, one half time technical staff, and lots of volunteer support.
| Year/Q | Activity | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| 1/Q1 | Hire Program Manager | Establish leadership and help define the strategic direction of the OSPO |
| 1/Q1 | Form stakeholder group | Engage stakeholders and gather input on OSPO initiatives and priorities |
| 1/Q1 | Study guides for setting up a university OSPO | Align with state-of-the-art guidance for setting up an academic OSPO |
| 1/Q1 | Needs assessment | Identify specific needs and challenges related to open practices within the university community |
| 1/Q1 | OSPO strategic plan | Formalize goals, objectives, and activities for the first two years of operation |
| 1/Q2 | Hire software developer | Recruit part-time developer |
| 1/Q2 | Launch OSPO website | Provide information and resources on open practices, OSPO initiatives, and events |
| 1/Q2 | Establish new training programs | Build capacity in open-source software development, open data, and open access |
| 1/Q2 | Work towards open-source software, and open data policies | Provide guidance and support for the adoption of open practices across the university |
| 1/Q2 | Reinvigorate collaboration with OVPR and other university departments | Align OSPO activities with broader institutional goals and initiatives, and disseminate goals across academic units |
| 1/Q3,4 | Deploy infrastructure and tools for open-source software development and data management | Support research and education activities that rely on open practices |
| 2/Q1 | Evaluate Year 1 progress and impact | Assess the effectiveness of OSPO initiatives and identify areas for improvement |
| 2/Q1 | Update OSPO strategic plan | Refine goals, objectives, and activities for the next year based on Year 1 evaluation |
| 2/Q1 | Expand training programs | Continue building capacity in open-source software development, open data, and open access with new topics and advanced sessions |
| 2/Q1 | Develop partnerships with external organizations | Strengthen the university's open practices network and create new collaborative opportunities |
| 2/Q2 | Update policies and best practices | Promote adherence to the latest open practices, guidelines, and standards |
| 2/Q2 | Launch open-source software grant and fellowship program | Help provide funding and support for promising open-source projects and initiatives |
| 2/Q2 | Organize Annual OSPO Conference | Showcase achievements, share knowledge, and foster collaboration among open practices stakeholders |
| 2/Q3,4 | Enhance Infrastructure and Tools Offerings | Continuously improve support for open-source software development and data management activities |
Resulting Context §
Presenting the plan this way allows it to be used in two ways at once: as a narrative funders and leadership can follow to understand the OSPO's trajectory and expected return on investment, and as a working checklist new staff can pick up and use from day one.
The plan can be adapted into a funding proposal, a business case or an onboarding document for new staff - without needing to be rewritten from scratch for each audience.
Additional Learning from the George Washington University Open Source Program Office §
We used this workplan as a core component of our funding application for our OSPO. The workplan was instrumental in guiding activity in the first years of the OSPO.
Known Instances §
Contributors & Acknowledgement §
- Ciara Flanagan — CURIOSS,
0009-0005-3153-7673 - David Lippert — George Washington University, 0009-0003-6444-9595
A note on AI use: This content was drafted with the help of AI. As a small organization, AI tools help us turn rich conversations into written resources with less effort - meaning we can offer more to the community. As always, there were plenty of human eyes reviewing, editing and improving the content before it was published. Thanks go to our community for the insights. If you do spot any errors, please let us know so we can correct them!