An Introduction Organizations worldwide are incorporating open source

methodologies into the way they build and ship their own software.

to InnerSource Adopting this modern approach to software development can be

transformative enabling collaboration and fostering the creation
of high quality code. But understanding the principles, and potential
challenges, is critical to success.

What is InnerSource? GitHubs Core Tenets of InnerSource:

Many companies use the term InnerSource to describe the process OPEN: Democratizing access, creating a level playing field for the open
of applying lessons learned from large-scale, distributed, open source sharing of work, ideas, and feedback, and ensuring cultural and strategic
projects to proprietary engineering. The concept has been described in a alignment.
variety of other ways and developers in organizations that already engage
with large open source communities may not use the term InnerSource TRANSPARENT: Ensuring the process as well as the product is visible,
specifically, but rather think of it simply as the way they apply open predominantly by decoupling communications from time and space.
source methodologies to software development behind their firewall. PARTICIPATIVE: Sharing work and making it easy for others to
Keeping proprietary code within the view and control of a single company, discover, use, and contribute.
InnerSource differs from classic open source. It does not necessarily involve
COLLABORATIVE: Working together to incrementally increase quality,
publicly sharing proprietary software or inviting unauthorized individuals
distribution of knowledge, and shipping velocity.
to engage with what is being developed. So, companies can rest assured
that any non-public code will remain securely within their environment. GOVERNED: Directing, guiding, and supporting the software
community, through standards, patterns, roles, and executive

How does it work? sponsorship.

Think of InnerSource as an open source community within the context of the

enterprise. As with open source, a pattern of inclusion leverages the minds
of those in the community to produce high-quality code. But, in the case
of InnerSource, the community is scoped to the experiences, knowledge, A primary driver for InnerSource adoption is the ability to utilize the
skills, and abilities of the people and tools within a single enterprise. best practices of the open source software movement, while keeping
collaboration secure within their company. Some of the benefits of
InnerSourcing is as much a cultural shift as it is a technological shift,
InnerSource include increased delivery velocity, smoother collaboration
which can be challenging for some organizations. Like their open
between groups, higher-quality development, and better documentation.
source counterparts, InnerSource projects thrive in places where efforts
naturally lean toward discoverability and reuse within small, cross- USING INNERSOURCE CAN ALSO HELP
functional communities of the organization that share similar passions. COMPANIES BECOME MORE EFFICIENT BY:
Throughout development, community managers ensure connections
Making it easy to find and reuse code on a broad scale, minimizing
are made among subsets of development teams, without a need to rely
wasted resources and duplication.
on one or a few individuals who are pressed to know it all. They naturally
Driving rapid development, regardless of company size.
emerge as champions of these small communities and are motivated
Reducing silos to enable simple, fast collaboration throughout the
to become thought leaders within their domains. As with any new or
entire organization inside and between teams and functions, as well
different method, having the right mix of individuals, teams, and resources
as across teams and business lines.
involved can help ensure success and, in many cases, the results
Increasing clarity between engineers and management, as well as
delivered far outshine any obstacles that may be necessary to overcome.
anyone else with a vested interest.
Creating a culture of openness, a precursor to open source
Why do companies adopt it? participation.
Reinforcing the pride, growth, and job satisfaction felt by team
As businesses move to differentiate their products and services using software
members who help wherever there is a need.
and data or recognize software and data is their product or service they
quickly realize the limitations of the traditional software development Leading enterprises such as Paypal, Bloomberg, and Walmart practice
methods, process, and tooling. The slow, systematic practice of requirements InnerSource to deliver software for internal use and external consumption.
gathering, team meetings, siloed development teams, and scheduled tasking It provides them with a unique competitive advantage and helps them
isnt delivering software at the speed or quality these enterprises require. stay relevant by ensuring that they are on the cutting edge of software
development.
 Every company is different, and none of these examples should be seen
InnerSource Best Practices:
as prerequisites for an organization to begin practicing InnerSource.
Realistic vision, articulated shared purpose, and clearly defined Many companies choose to start with a pilot program to get the ball
problems or opportunities being addressed rolling and determine how InnerSource can work best for them.
Key participants (initiators, catalysts, evangelists) should have Adopting InnerSource is not something that happens overnight, as it can
collaborative experience/mindset have an impact across the organization. Successful implementations are
Socialization model to help new participants acclimate built on a foundation of trust where individuals are encouraged to take
Programmatically facilitated continuous interaction and behavioral ownership and at the same time work together towards a shared goal.
consistency
Start with an intra-organizational group of people with defined
shared goals
Ready to get started?
Companies looking to adopt the practices of InnerSource often begin by
evaluating their development tools and centralizing software development
on a single, collaborative platform. GitHub has helped organizations of all
sizes realize the benefits of an InnerSource culture, and how to embrace
Is it right for your organization? this open way of working. Democratizing access brings a new level of
transparency to organizations and (as the largest host of source code in
Companies that are committed to building software and tooling to enable
the world) GitHub enables developers to discover, reuse, and contribute.
their specific business process, or attempting to build a new business enabled
Collaboration can also go beyond the engineering team to include product
by software and data, are the ones most likely to successfully adopt an Inner-
managers, designers, copywriters, security teams, and more. Work moves
Source strategy and reap the benefits of better code, delivered faster.
faster and projects get smarter because they start at the point of innovation.
Organizational culture is an especially critical factor when adopting Inner-
GitHub transformed the way software is built by bringing collaboration
Source, as implementing this open methodology can mean a significant shift
and code review directly into the development process, and has spent
in how individuals see themselves and their responsibilities. The nature of
every year since adding features and products that help developers
an effective program is collegiate, informal, mentored, self-selecting, and
focus on what they do best. Adopting GitHub at work means new
supportive through the lifecycle of its participants.
developers can get up to speed in days (not weeks or months), and start
Some organizations actively encourage the transparent sharing of knowledge, making contributions right away. And, giving developers tools they
while others consistently reinforce silos of knowledge. InnerSource aims to love to use means work isnt just more efficient, its more enjoyable.
work across silos and eliminate barriers to collaboration allowing knowl-
InnerSource provides a unique approach to advance development
edge to be shared throughout the company. The degree to which an organiza-
processes, shorten time-to-market, help overcome organizational
tion supports knowledge-sharing and silo-reducing initiatives can be a good a
barriers, enhance software quality, and improve job satisfaction. With
sign of how prepared it is for InnerSource adoption.
roots in the open source best practices of modern software development,
GitHub is an ideal partner on your journey to InnerSource success.
INDICATORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS:

Open and trasparent culture

Development on a collaborative platform
Support by all levels of employees
Participant autonomy
Open source participation The GitHub Professional Services team helps
Continuous integration practices organizations transform their culture, as well as
Small, interconnected communities their software identifying opportunities for
Community leadership openness, and safe ways of getting there.

Get in touch: services@github.com

Questions about using GitHub? Were here to help.

Get in touch with:
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