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dc.titleHow to Build an Open-Source Program Office
dc.contributor.authorEmendabili, Julia Vieira De Andrade Dias
dc.contributor.authorRodriguez Paredes, Elizabeth Jesenia
dc.contributor.authorBates Flores, David Obrien
dc.contributor.authorSandoval Hernandez, Carlos Alberto
dc.contributor.authorSanchez Romero, Luis Antonio
dc.contributor.authorMuente, Arturo
dc.contributor.orgunitInstitutional Capacity of the State Division
dc.contributor.orgunitInnovation and Creativity Division
dc.date.available2026-06-08T00:06:00
dc.date.issue2026-06-08T00:06:00
dc.description.abstractOpen-source refers to software whose source code is publicly available for use, modification, and redistribution. Open-source software (OSS) has increasingly positioned itself as a powerful lever to enhance the impact of public investment. As more public institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) position open-source as a strategic pillar of their digital transformation agendas, demand for concrete operational guidance on how to govern and sustain OSS adoption over the long term continues to grow. Open-Source Program Offices (OSPOs) can set the rules, lower the friction, and build capacity so that public institutions can safely use, publish, and contribute to OSS at scale. They can, according to the institutions needs, coordinate policy and strategy, ensure legal and procurement compliance, set technical and security standards, and engage communities and ecosystems so that agencies can safely reuse and contribute to OSS (Linux Foundation Research, 2022). This document outlines a step-by-step roadmap for establishing and maturing the strategy and core functions of an Open-Source Program Office (OSPO). Its methodology reflects the IDBs operational experience, referenced publications, lessons from interviews with the global opensource ecosystem, and outputs from the roundtable session “Collective Mentorship: Establishing & Sustaining Government OSPOs” held at the Digital Public Goods Alliance Annual Member Meeting in November 2025. The methodology for establishing an OSPO strategy offers a robust framework for replication across institutions and follows the Mission Model Canvas structure: from Desirability (value and beneficiaries) to Feasibility (capabilities and structures), and ultimately to Viability (long-term sustainability). A phased maturity model then provides a practical path for implementation, enabling any government, regardless of its starting point, to deliver early results and progressively expand its capabilities.
dc.format.extent80
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0014079
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/How-to-Build-an-Open-Source-Program-Office.pdf
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/spanish/document/Como-crear-una-oficina-de-programas-de-codigo-abierto.pdf
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/portuguese/document/Como-criar-um-escritorio-de-programas-de-codigo-aberto.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectDigital Technology
dc.subjectOpen Source
dc.subjectGovernance
dc.subjectProcurement
dc.subjectDigital Economy
dc.subjectPublic Sector
dc.subjectComputer Software
dc.subjectInfrastructure Development
dc.subjectStakeholder Ecosystem
dc.subjectPublic Institution
dc.subjectCompetitiveness
dc.subjectDigital Transformation
dc.subjectService Provider
dc.subjectSustainability
dc.subjectInnovation
dc.subject.jelcodeH11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government
dc.subject.jelcodeD83 - Search • Learning • Information and Knowledge • Communication • Belief • Unawareness
dc.subject.jelcodeO33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences • Diffusion Processes
dc.subject.jelcodeH83 - Public Administration • Public Sector Accounting and Audits
dc.typeCatalogs and Brochures
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-CB-01182
idb.operationRG-T4549
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