The WebPA project is nearing the eighteen month mark. This is a significant point for OSS Watch because a question that is often asked of us is “can projects really create a viable community within 18 months” (18 months being the average length of JISC funded projects). Our response is that whilst a truly sustainable community would be difficult to create in that time it is certainly possible to build the relevant infrastructure and identify some key community players. In other words, one should be, at least, on the verge of creating a sustianable community after 18 months. However, we follow that up with an observation that this takes effort.
Most projects we consult with have not budgeted for that effort and without an example of a similar project successfully engaging with a community in the 18 months time limit it is hard for project managers to see the value of such activities.
So, does WebPA provide a case study to support our position?
They certainly put in the effort and are seeing some of the rewards, as described in an OSS Watch case study document, and the good news keeps coming.
The WebPA team recently blogged about the value of a community member who, although not directly involved with the ongoing development of the project, is helping generate interest in the project across the world. This recently resulted in use of the WebPA tool spreading into Australia. The very fact that there are international users helps to build community and thus the sustainability of the WebPA project, even if those users never contribute code.
Note that this is a result that did not require significant effort from the funded project team. Because WebPA have built the necessary community structures and models community members are starting to become self supporting. That is what we should be looking for in a project around eighteen months old.
The WebPA team continue to raise awareness of their project and their community. Recently they reported that they have been named as a finalist in the IMS Global Learning Impact Awards. They are also running events designed to increase the user base for their product by demonstrating it to interested parties.
OSS Watch are meeting with WebPA again soon. We will be discussing sustainability beyond the current JISC funding. When we originally met with the team they informed us that a key factor in their survival would be the creation of a viable community. I believe they are well on the way to achieving this and I look forward to exploring the myriad of options they now have available to them in moving into the next phase of project development.
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