The following represent best practices for FOSS development in the African context, as shared by participants at Good to Great FOSS study report.
This enumeration focuses primarily on practices critical or unique to the African context, or which vary from conventions in developed country contexts.
Community Development: Central to the long-term success of any FOSS project is the ability to grow the involved community by recruiting and retaining new developers and other contributors. The following were called out as critical to successful community development:
● Active engagement: Project principals must actively engage interested parties and find ways to honor their interest. In addition, contributions and other efforts should be acknowledged in a fashion that is visible to the project community.
● Transparent process: Having well-defined processes for decision making, planning, and project management encourages new participation, and empowers all project members to understand and contribute to project evolution.
● Well-defined entry points: Projects need to make sure their online presence is friendly and inviting to the uninitiated. A well-designed project home page that summarizes the project, provides latest news, and conveys a sense of community activity is essential to recruiting new community members. In addition, for those wanting to get more involved, information about how to do so is critical in order to engage developers and other contributors in their moment of interest.
● Accessible Documentation: Projects with good documentation and documentation processes have a better chance of engaging new community members. An important decision projects in the African context need to make wikis provide a powerful, collaborative way to keep shared knowledge current.
● Offering intangibles: While it is difficult for new or small projects to do so, there are “intangible” benefits that can draw in developers and new community members. Two in particular are worth noting: “fame” and “buzz”. FOSS developers are often motivated by a desire to grow their reputation in the FOSS world; projects which can provide developers with high visibility or public acknowledgment of their contributions have greater appeal. Projects with substantial and growing user bases have the additional ability to offer developers a chance to see their work enjoyed by a larger audience. In addition, projects focused on “hot” or “buzz” markets or emerging technologies are more likely to draw in new community members. An example of “buzz” technology in the African context is the integration of internet and cell phones; such a bridge is at the cutting edge of communication in Africa, offering both compelling technological and social benefits in bridging digital communication divides.
● Communication and collaboration: By Email and mailing lists, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and Discussion forums which can be used for focused asynchronous dialog on a range of topics