ChunkWorks
Rapid development platform for the creation of physical open source projects
Example Project
Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology wants to develop an open source induction furnace. This project requires many different tools and skillsets so it is a perfect example.
Marcin Starts a Project:
Marcin posts the project to solicit offers.
Open Source Induction Furnace
A collaborator sees this project and feels qualified to bid.
Open Source Induction Furnace
Bid 1:
This is the same structure as many freelance websites; with some subtle, but strategic differences.
Open Source Induction Furnace
Bid 1:
Open Source Induction Furnace
Bid 2:
What this system is designed for is to allow individual contributors to bid on the specific aspects of projects they are qualified for.
Bid 1:
This crowdsourced project management gives the project owner a clear idea of what the tough aspects of the project are going to be.
Subject matter experts begin dissecting the entire induction furnace project into smaller pieces. This breaks the project into logical blocks with more bids on the more common functions.
Bid 2:
$14,000 budget remains for the rest
What is happening so far:
Bid 2:
$14,000 budget remains for the rest
Electronics
All other aspects of the project
Bid 3:
Power Electronics
What happened:
Steve broke up the electronics section even further by breaking off the power stage of the electronics function.
Bid 1:
Bid 2:
Electronics
Bid 3:
Power Electronics
Controller
Foundry
Bid 5:
Coil
Bid 6:
Crucible
Bid 7:
Frame
Bid 8:
Bid 4:
Bid 1:
Bid 2:
Electronics
Bid 3:
Power Electronics
Controller
Foundry
Bid 5:
Coil
Bid 6:
Crucible
Bid 7:
Frame
Bid 8:
Bid 4:
Possibilities:
The project owner decides which route is best.
Maybe the first bid for the entire project is best.
The possibilities add up fast even in this simple example
How to choose the right development path
The project owner has to determine which path is most suitable. Each one is variable in budget, location, collaborators’ skillset, etc.
Collaborators collaborate, and they want to be in the development path the project owner chooses. The system is designed to foster this collaboration by enabling contributors to strengthen their part of the development path.
I will use the electronics portion to illustrate this point on the next slide.
Collaborators collaborate
Bid 2:
Electronics
Bid 3:
Power Electronics
Controller
Bid 4:
Amy increased her bid because she was going to need to do some research on power delivery before delivering the prototype. She contacted Steve, and based on their collaboration was able to reduce her bid. This working group can now present a proposal to the product owner
$1,200
$500
$350
Phil and Steve have also been in contact and they can submit their own proposal
Collaborators Collaborate <cont>
$3,000
Bid 5:
Coil
Bid 6:
Crucible
Bid 7:
Frame
Bid 8:
Lynn collaborates with Robert and can lower her bid as well.
$8,900
$6,900
More collaborators collaborating. Robert, Bill, and Carter have come together to present their group’s proposal.
Collaborators Create a Mess
Bid 5:
Coil
Bid 6:
Crucible
Bid 7:
Frame
Bid 8:
Bid 2:
Electronics
Bid 3:
Power Electronics
Controller
Bid 4:
Mechanical
And from that mess comes order. What makes or breaks open source projects is the level of involvement of collaborators. As these process flow lines form between individuals, then individual groups, complete process flows will form.
Above, the Phil and Steve workgroup collaborates with Robert, Bill and Carter to form a complete proposal.
Amy and Lynn create another proposal
Collaborators’ Proposals
In addition to the crowdsourced collection of proposals the project owner may pick specific users to perform specific functions. That would certainly motivate others to form networks with those users as it would greatly increase their chance of being part of the selected group.
Why would project owners choose specific users?
Their profile.
Collaborators’ Profiles
Includes:
In Kind Payments
This discussion so far has only been about money changing hands. We are open source developers helping other open source developers. The initial user base for this project is most likely going to be other open source developers. We need eachothers’ help. If Amy develops the electronics for the Induction Furnace, maybe she can accept some cast aluminum parts as payment because she needs them for her own product development efforts.
This may have been a long way to go to arrive at this point, but it is principle to this system. How do you put a value on open source contributions? How much would you have had to pay someone for a specific service if that contribution wasn’t otherwise provided.
In Kind <cont>
Assume a user bids on a project, designing the crucible for the induction furnace for example. The breakdown might be:
Some other users bid as well:
User | Design and Fab | Tools | Materials |
AdventureCat | $500 | $150 | $200 |
User | Design and Fab | Tools | Materials |
BillyJoe | $600(in kind) | $100 | $175 |
User | Design and Fab | Tools | Materials |
PooBear | All of it $750(in kind) | ||
In Kind <cont>
If the project owner is able to offer in kind payments and accepts one of the in kind bids they are obligated to pay the same way as if it were currency. The debt is added to the project owners profile, the proceeds added it the users profile.
The user doesn’t have to collect from the original project owner however. Much if not most of the time the user doesn’t have a need for the project owners products.
The next slide is a simplified example.
In Kind Example
There are still debts and credits left in this example, but it serves to illustrate how open source contributors can put a value on their contribution. And exchange contributions with other open source entrepreneurs.
Project A
User B
$0
$100
User A
Project B
$100(in kind)
$200(in kind)
These projects accept in kind bids from these users.
In Kind:
In Kind:
In Kind:
In Kind:
Upon successful completion of the projects their respective accounts are updated
$100
$200
-$200
- $100
$100(in kind)
$100(in kind)
But User A needs something from Project B and User B needs something from project A
- $100
$0