[aperi-dev] what defines success for Aperi?

[Todd Singleton <toddsing@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Fellow Aperi members,
A few questions to ponder and ideas
to explore for the sake of discussion (or perhaps more)... 

Release 3 is coming to a close.  Release
4 will kick off shortly after.  Planning for release 5 will begin
soon as well.  How do we know if Aperi is headed in the right direction?
 How do we know what to do next, what product goals to shoot for in
the upcoming release?  How can we accurately measure our progress
and validate our plans?  What metrics should we use to
measure success from one release to the next?  

For most commercial products, the metric
of success is generally summed up by one word - money.  The amount
of money generated, revenue, or the amount of money gained, profit, normally
dictates the legacy of a product.  But what about open source products?
 What about Aperi...  can we be measured monetarily or should
we use a different metric?  

One could argue that we don't have a
choice - no matter how you look at it,  money is still the magic
metric.   Whether Aperi components are adopted and integrated
into commercial offerings, or used directly by end users, money must be
gained somewhere in the value chain.  So however Aperi is packaged,
its validation is directly linked to its monetary impact on the marketplace.
 Does this mean that in order for Aperi to accurately measure progress
and validate plans, feedback must be obtained from the marketplace?  If
so, Aperi needs successful adopters or happy end users.  

Aperi is coming up on its 18-month birthday.
 The early adopters plan to carry Aperi components into the marketplace
in the next 12 to 18 months.  Can Aperi wait this long to get much-needed
validation?  Should Aperi also focus on reaching end users?  Which
ones (SMB's, non-profits, etc)?  Do the two approaches go hand-in-hand?
 Would more end users create a business case and stimulate greater
adoption by Aperi members?  

Many would argue that Linux survived
and thrived simply because companies like IBM developed a strong business
case for it.  The same with Java.  But did this business case
motivate Linux or did Linux motivate the business case?  Which came
first: the grassroots user base or the corporate revenue model & market
strategy?  Or in the case of the Eclipse IDE, was the end-user base
a creation of the corporate business case?  Is the lack of member
participation and adoption a result of uncompelling business cases.  Perhaps,
then, encouraging the development of such business cases (one per partner)
is the best way to promote community adoption.  Adoption requires
incentive.  Money is the ultimate incentive in any business.  If
we can articulate value, we can bet on adoption.  This is no easy
task and requires help from the entire community.

With definite business goals translated
into clear technical requirements, we can have greater confidence in plans
and our deliverables.   Thoughts?

Todd Singleton
Software Engineer, Tivoli, IBM
Bldg. 50, A152
5600 Cottle Road
San Jose, CA
email: toddsing@xxxxxxxxxx