Course Overview #
Public sector executives and senior managers have an opportunity to lead digital transformation of mission-critical service delivery and operations within their organizations by embracing open source software solutions. To drive this transformation, they need to:
Re-orient organizational culture to become open source software friendly
Invest in staff capacity building
Champion digitally-native approaches to procurement, budgeting and contracting that support open source software adoption
Understand the fundamental differences between conventional proprietary software and open source software
Leverage the potential of cross-jurisdictional collaboration to build and support open source software applications
The purpose of this course is to equip public sector executives and their colleagues with the ideas, tools and resources they need to overcome the challenges that are often associated with using open source software – and to take full advantage of its benefits. This course has been designed primarily from the perspective of non-technical executives, directors and departmental leaders, but will provide important insights for technical staff as well.
Course Learning Objectives #
By taking this course, learners will:
Develop basic knowledge of open source software fundamentals, how it differs from conventional proprietary software, and what value open source software brings in a public sector context.
Learn to recognize the common barriers to using open source software in government, and identify strategies for overcoming them.
Understand how an applied, operational framework for policy and management decisions can enable a well-balanced approach to software – whether open source or conventional proprietary.
Course Module Overview and Structure #
The content has been divided into five modules that each address specific aspects of enabling, working with, and benefitting from open source software in government:
Module 1, Module 2, and Module 5 provide a high-level overview of open source software and how it is different from proprietary software, organizational factors that can enable or hinder its adoption and use in government, and what it means to participate in the broader open source software ecosystem.
Module 3 provides detailed information on procurement, contracting and budgeting considerations related to open source software. The contents of this module will be of interest to government staff working in procurement, finance or legal capacities.
Module 4 provides detailed information on various security and maintenance aspects associated with open source software.
Each module contains Key Points, sub-topics and their associated challenges, strategies, and further resources for those interested in learning more.
Also accompanying each module is an Executive One-Pager summarizing the top-level message and key points from each module. Staff can use these documents to communicate key messages to their senior or executive-level management and help to make a case for – and implement – open source software. The courseware will inform decisions about integrating and aligning the use of open source software with organization-wide priorities and commitments.