Open Source Needs Assessment

The open source needs assessment is aimed at helping you get in touch with your needs, primarily though getting in touch with your emotions.

(If you find the prospect of getting in touch with your emotions scary or stressful, that's okay! However, it's also a sign of trauma. A good therapist can potentially help.)

This assessment is meant for individuals. If you'd like to assess your project's needs, check out the Visibility Spectrum exercise.

I've created a hosted spreadsheet version of this assessment which I recommend using for convenience.

Step 1 - Likes and Dislikes

Below is a list of things a person might experience in open source. For each item, take a moment to reflect on how these experiences feel - or, if they're unfamiliar to you, imagine what they might feel like.

For each item, rate it using the following scale:

  1. I hate this and definitely don't want it as part of my open source experience
  2. I'd prefer not to have this, but I can live with it
  3. I feel neutral about having this in my open source experience
  4. I want this, but I can live without it
  5. I really, really want this as part of my open source experience, and I'm not sure how long I'd last without it

Please treat all the items the same way, regardless of if you currently experience it or not. Just focus on how much you like/want it vs dislike/want to avoid it. We'll distinguish between fulfilled and unfulfilled needs in the next step.

If my open source experienced had...

  • people to celebrate with when things go well
  • someone to talk to when I need help
  • someone who can take over for me if I need to take a step back
  • knowledge that the work I'm doing matters
  • visibility into how my work is impacting others
  • work that is intellectually engaging
  • work that helps me grow
  • work that advances my career
  • income from open source (enough to survive on)
  • income from open source (enough to make me financially secure)
  • opportunity to speak or write (through conferences, podcasts, etc) about my work
  • a feeling of pride and accomplishment in my work
  • feedback from others that they admire my work
  • feedback from others about how they use my work
  • people who really understand what I'm going through and the challenges I'm facing
  • friends participating in my open source projects with me
  • friends in the wider open source community
  • the opportunity to help new contributors learn and grow
  • a consistent and predictable group of people who regularly participate
  • the ability to make my own decisions
  • the satisfaction of helping individual users
  • the opportunity to pair and collaborate with others
  • an issue tracker with an unmanageable number of issues
  • users asking for more support than I can give
  • users who seem entitled in their requests
  • open pull requests I don't have time to review
  • parts of the codebase I don't understand and am afraid to touch
  • too many contributors that I don't have the resources or energy to onboard
  • concern that my project is not accessible to people with disabilities
  • concern that my project is not accessible to people from marginalized communities
  • concern that members of my open source community will say hurtful or insensitive things about elements of my identity (sex, race, orientation, ability, etc)

Step 2 - Fulfilled and Unfulfilled Needs

In the second step, we'll determine how well fulfilled your needs are. Using the same item list above, rate the items using the following scale:

  1. this is not part of my open source experience
  2. this is a minor part of my open source experience
  3. this is a major part of my open source experience

At the end of this step, all items should have both a letter and a number.

Step 3 - Identifying Your Biggest Unfulfilled Needs

Generally speaking, we are most concerned about two buckets: the things you want and don't have, and the things you have and don't want.

To get the first bucket (things you want and don't have) look for items in your list rated 4 or 5 and given the letter A or B. Make a special note of anything that's a 5A - things you "really, really want" that aren't any part of your open source experience.

To get the second bucket (things you have and don't want) look for items rated 1 or 2 and given the letter B or C. Make a special note of anything that's a 1C - things you "can't stand" that are a major part of your open source experience.

If you don't have any 5As or 1Cs, take a moment to reflect on whether that's because you generally feel quite fulfilled and happy in your life, or because you habitually downplay your emotions and needs. If the latter, treat any 4As like 5As and any 2Cs like 1Cs - that is, assume that your "want" is the same as someone else's "really want".

Another complicating factor is that you might have needs that are being fulfilled outside open source. For example, perhaps you really want people to celebrate wins with, and you have that outside open source, but want it in your open source projects as well. You can judge for yourself whether you want to prioritize fulfilling that need, vs focusing on a need that is entirely missing from your life.

Step 4 - Understanding Your Needs

At this point, you've already identified a bunch of concrete needs you have regarding your participation in open source. This is hopefully useful in itself. But it's worth talking a little bit about the fundamental human needs that underly more concrete needs.

I'm going to go through the items listed above and talk about what might be underlying them.

Self-Actualization and Growth

If you expressed desire for "work that helps me grow", "work that advances my career" and "work that is intellectually engagement", those are all signs of an underlying need for self-actualization and growth. This is a universal need (although it's hidden in some people who are focused on getting survival needs like food and physical safety met).

It is totally normal and valid and good to have self-growth needs, and to try to meet them through open source participation! It can be helpful to reflect on what kinds of areas you'd like to grow in and what environments/resources/supports will help you grow.

Belonging and Connection

If you expressed desire for "people to celebrate with when things go well", "people who really understand what I'm going through and the challenges I'm facing", "friends participating in my open source projects with me", "friends in the wider open source community", "the opportunity to pair and collaborate with others", and "a consistent and predictable group of people who regularly participate in my projects", those are all signs of an underlying need for connection and belonging.

Again, this is a universal need, and nothing to be ashamed of. Humans are social creatures.

Meaning and Impact

If you expressed desire for "knowledge that the work I'm doing matters", "visibility into how my work is impacting others" or "feedback from others about how they use my work", those are signs of an underlying need for your work to have meaning. Nobody likes to feel like their time is being wasting or that they have no impact on the lives of others.

Security

If you expressed desire for income from open source, that's a sign of an underlying need for security. Most of us live in a society that requires money to meet our basic needs for food, housing, shelter, healthcare, and more. Wanting an income isn't selfish; it's the most natural thing in the world.

Recognition

If you expressed desire for "opportunity to speak or write (through conferences, podcasts, etc) about my work", "a feeling of pride and accomplishment in my work", and/or "feedback from others that they admire my work" this is a sign for a need for recognition. Again, this is an important and fundamental need. It's one that we can be made to feel ashamed of, though. If you have feelings of shame around your desire for recognition, that's okay.

Competence and Agency

If you expressed desire for "the ability to make my own decisions" or a dislike of "parts of the codebase I don't understand and am afraid to touch", "an issue tracker with an unmanageable number of issues", or "open pull requests I don't have time to review", this may reflect an underlying need for competency and agency.

We all need areas of our life where we feel confident and in control. Not being able to make our own decisions, or being completely overwhelmed by responsibilities, can make us feel incompetent or helpless.

Being Cared For

If you expressed a desire for "someone to talk to when I need help" or "someone who can take over for me if I need to take a step back", that may reflect an underlying need for care from others - for partners and protectors who can have your back. We're not meant to live our lives alone, taking sole responsibility for things. We're meant to share our burdens, so that we can prioritize other things (child-rearing, self-care, education, etc) as needed.

The feeling that everything's all on you, and you can't take a break, can be incredibly draining!

Being Able to Care For Others

This is the flip side of the previous need.

If you expressed a desire for "the opportunity to help new contributors learn and grow" or "the satisfaction of helping individual users", or if you expressed a dislike of "an issue tracker with an unmanageable number of issues", "open pull requests I don't have time to review", "users asking for more support than I can give", "too many contributors that I don't have the resources or energy to onboard", "concern that my project is not accessible to people with disabilities", "concern that my project is not accessible to people from marginalized communities", this may reflect a desire to care for and meet the needs of others.

Again, we're not meant to work alone, taking sole responsibility for everything. We're meant to share our burdens with others so that we can care for and meet the needs of others without feeling overwhelmed or like we're letting others down.

Rupture & Repair

Finally, if you expressed a dislike of "concern that members of my open source community will say hurtful or insensitive things about elements of my identity (sex, race, orientation, ability, etc)", "users who seem entitled in their requests", "concern that my project is not accessible to people with disabilities", or "concern that my project is not accessible to people from marginalized communities", this may reflect your need to be in relationships that embrace rupture and repair.

All relationships will have conflicts, or "ruptures". In healthy relationships and communities there are clear and well-used processes and practices of "repair" that make ruptures much less threatening.

Your need to be treated with respect and dignity, and to feel confident you are treating others with respect and dignity, is a very important need.

Next Steps

If you have significant needs that are not getting met, that can cause or contribute to burnout and other mental health problems. It can also cause decreased productivity and issues with any open source projects you're responsible for, although in the vast majority of cases that's less important than your mental health.

This whole website is designed to help people meet their emotional and relational needs in open source. If you'd like help finding resources, or want to talk to me about the results of this quiz, please contact me.

I also welcome any feedback you have about this assessment. It is a work in progress and I'd love to hear anything you think could help make it better.

Relational technology is built by and for people in relationship with each other.

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