There are lots of ideas out there about how to run a free and open source software project... but not all strategies were created equal. Sometimes governance "just happens" but more often than not, projects end up with some things that work and some that (really) don't. Unfortunately, by the time they regret some of the bad ideas they're baked into the project and harder to change. This talk will cover some of the big red flags you'll want to avoid as well as some of the less obvious stuff that most people discover "the hard way."

Figuring out when your idea is cohesive enough to bring people in but not so detailed that you're basically looking for clones of yourself, is a delicate dance. Transparency goes a long way towards helping you find people who support your vision but can still bring new ideas to the table when it comes time to talk implementation. Laying down a few rules or sharing some expectations early on can help you avoid a world of hurt and confusion later on. And of course, there are a few nitty gritty details (like licensing and naming) that are worth paying a little bit of special attention to in the beginning.

Maintaining and scaling your project is easier when you've laid a good foundation. Join me for whirlwind tour of what not to do, what to do instead and maybe what you can do to fix what you've already done. The FOSS community has more than enough good, bad and ugly governance stories that you should at least make be able your own brand new mistakes.