Dirk Riehle's Industry and Research Publications

Category: 2. Building Products

  • Getting started with FLOSS governance and compliance in companies [OpenSym 2019]

    Getting started with FLOSS governance and compliance in companies [OpenSym 2019]

    Abstract: Commercial use of open source software is on the rise as more companies realize the benefits of using FLOSS components in their products. At the same time, the ungoverned use of such components can result in legal, financial, intellectual property, and other risks. To mitigate these risks, companies must govern their use of open source…

  • Agile Methods and the Magic Triangle

    Agile Methods and the Magic Triangle

    In software engineering, the magic triangle is a well-known concept to illustrate the relationship between scope, time, and cost of a software development project. Of the three (scope, time, cost), pick two, and the third will magically follow. (It is determined by the other two.) Scope means features (or delivered functionality), time means duration or…

  • Open Source and Inner Source at IAV (in English)

    Open Source and Inner Source at IAV (in English)

    The house magazine of IAV Automotive Engineering GmbH, a major supplier to the German automotive industry, which had interviewed Markus Blonn and me about open source and inner source at IAV, translated the magazine article into English, woohoo!

  • The Importance of Product Management

    The Importance of Product Management

    Another role or function that is often confusing to Germany high-tech companies is product management. Startups tend to get it right these days, but large organizations often remain unfazed by a lack of strong product management. A product manager is responsible for defining the product innovation and associated business plan (strategic product management) as well…

  • CTO vs. VP of Engineering

    CTO vs. VP of Engineering

    In tech companies, startups and large companies alike, of the many roles you need to define, two seem to be particularly confusing to German startups: The CTO and the VP of Engineering role. Many German startups I’ve seen simply have a person titled CTO who does both (and sometimes neither). These two roles are very…

  • Escalating levels of complexity in inner source projects

    Escalating levels of complexity in inner source projects

    Yesterday, I discussed what makes a good pilot project in inner source. The main thrust of the suggestion was not to start with a big bang but rather to choose a relevant but not too large project. This begs the question of complexity of projects, specifically viewed from an inner source perspective. How should you…