Identifying the fault-lines that trigger OSS churn

Most people slog through their days in a dark funk. They almost never get to do anything interesting or go to interesting places or meet interesting people. They are ignored by marketers who want them to buy their overpriced junk and be grateful for it. They feel disrespected, unappreciated and taken for granted. Nobody wants to take the time to listen to their fears, dreams, hopes and needs. And that’s your opening.
John Carlton
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Whilst the quote above may relate to marketing, it also has parallels in the build and run phases of an OSS project. We talked about the trauma of OSS yesterday, where the OSS user feels so much trauma with their current OSS that they’re willing to go through the trauma of an OSS transformation. Clearly, a procurement event must be preceded by a significant trauma!

Sometimes that trauma has its roots in the technical, where the existing OSS just can’t do (or be made to do) the things that are most important to the OSS user. Or it can’t do it reliable, at scale, in time, cost effectively, without significant risk / change. That’s a big factor certainly.

However, the churn trigger appears to more often be a human one. The users feel disrespected, unappreciated and taken for granted. But here’s an interesting point that might surprise some users – the suppliers also often feel disrespected, unappreciated and taken for granted.

I have the privilege of working on both sides of the equation, often even as the intermediary between both sides. Where does the blame lie? Where do the fault-lines originate? The reasons are many and varied of course, but like a marriage breakup, it usually comes down to relationships.

Where the communication method is through hand-grenades being thrown over the fence (eg management by email and by contractual clauses), results are clearly going to follow a deteriorating arc. Yet many OSS relationships structurally start from a position of us and them – the fence is erected – from day one.

Coming from a technical background, it took me far too deep into my career to come to this significant realisation – the importance of relationships, not just the quest for technical perfection. The need to listen to both sides’ fears, dreams, hopes and needs.

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