The Johns Hopkins University Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) is the central hub for open source at JHU. We are committed to helping faculty, staff, and students use, contribute to, and benefit from open-source software.
In November 2023, the OSPO embarked on a strategic planning session, bringing together a diverse group of representatives from across the university. The session’s core goals were to identify the OSPO’s key stakeholder groups and prioritize OSPO activities for the upcoming academic year. This process involved brainstorming a comprehensive list of stakeholders, categorizing them into broad groups, and prioritizing those deemed most critical for the next academic year.
For each prioritized stakeholder group, the OSPO outlined specific initiatives designed to address their unique needs and aspirations, including:
- Developing training modules on OSS best practices and secure, reproducible code development
- Facilitate connections with open-science communities
- Providing consulting services for creating sustainable research models
- Organizing events connecting faculty with open-science communities
- Establishing a directory of shared resources for open source projects
Building on the insights gained from the strategic planning session, the OSPO has outlined its next steps:
- Refined Needs Analysis: The OSPO will conduct a targeted needs analysis for the prioritized stakeholder groups to validate and refine the proposed initiatives.
- Project Brief Development: High-level project briefs will be created to outline the proposed initiatives, establishing a roadmap for future OSPO projects.
- Stakeholder Engagement: The OSPO will maintain open communication with its stakeholder groups, providing regular updates on progress, challenges, and adaptations.
The Johns Hopkins University OSPO is dedicated to building a strong and vibrant open-source software (OSS) community within the university. By listening to the needs of its stakeholders, creating focused projects, and keeping communication open, the OSPO will help the university’s academic community use the power of OSS to make a real difference.