A model of a mature open source project

Many perspectives have been offered in the academic literature to explain the phenomenon of open source software development. Unfortunately, most studies fail to adequately account for the depth and social complexity of the communities found at the heart of mature open source projects. Through an in-depth interpretive case study of Plone™, a vibrant open source project, as well as an evaluation of the existing literature on open source, a model of a mature open source project is proposed. The model incorporates concepts such as the project’s life cycle, community-of-practice, culture, and business- and end-user orientation. Limitations to this model are acknowledged, and avenues for future research to improve theoretical accounts of the social dynamics of open source communities are suggested.

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