incorporated PR feedback. Thanks @rrutledge @NewMexicoKid @nyeates and Erin

Author: gruetter

start-as-experiment.md

@@ -24,21 +24,42 @@ or are actively developing Open Source software.
   InnerSource before making a long term investment. This usually involves
   putting numbers against the expected improvements, which are hard to come
   by for InnerSource.
-- If the InnerSource initiative has a huge uptake among developers and if many
-  projects come to rely on it, a decision to shut it down will be very 
-  unpopular and therefore hard to make.
-- When implementing new working models such as InnerSource which are radically
-  different from working models previously practiced in the company, it is 
-  likely that existing, mandatory processes are no longer applicable and even
-  that one has to operate in a regulatory, sometimes legal no-mans land.
+- If the InnerSource initiative will likely have a huge uptake among developers
+  and if many projects are likely to rely on it, a decision to shut it down
+  will be very unpopular and therefore hard to make. The perceived resulting
+  loss of control might deter some managers to even start with InnerSource.
+- Implementing InnerSource style working models are often a radically departure
+  from previously practiced working models. It is therefore likely, that
+  existing, mandatory processes are no longer applicable and that appropriate
+  governing processes are missing. The result might be that one has to operate
+  in a regulatory, sometimes legal no-mans land. Examples are tax and export
+  control related regulations in large corporations with multiple legal
+  entities in multiple countries.
 
 # Solution
 
 Declare the InnerSource initiative as a time limited experiment. Define and
-communicate the criteria for evaluating the experiment and ensure that 
-sufficient data is gathered to perform the evaluation. Consider establishing
-a _Review Committee_ (**tbd**: pattern link) to increase the chances of 
-management buy-in.
+communicate the criteria for projects to join the InnerSource experiment. The
+criteria should be chosen such that they maximize the chances of building a 
+healthy InnerSource community around the selected InnerSource projects. They
+should also help to ensure that the setting of the projects is such that they 
+can later be used to gain externally valid insights into the effects of 
+applying InnerSource. Examples for such criteria are
+
+- Sufficient geographical distribution of developers
+- Sufficient departmental mix of developers,
+- Openness of communication within community,
+- Career path based on merit within community,
+- Democratic decision making within community.
+
+Consider designating the end of the experiment a _pivot_, _change_ or _pause_
+point to re-evaluate. Also consider establishing a [Review
+Committee](review-committee.md) to increase the chances of management buy-in
+through participation. Depending on company culture, it might be helpful to
+accompany the experiment with appropriate metrics (**tbd: Pattern link**). If
+the projects in the experiment don't provide a direct impact on the companies
+revenue, consider introducing [Cross Team
+Valuation](crossteam-project-valuation.md) to highlight its value contribution.
 
 # Resulting Context
 
@@ -53,10 +74,10 @@ Managers are able to kick start InnerSource for the following reasons:
 - In case of success, the data gathered during the experiment will allow
   managers to make a longer lasting commitment to InnerSource. 
 
-Participants in the InnerSource experiment are conscious of the fact that, as
-an experiment, the InnerSource initiative could be shut down or not continued
-after the planned lifetime in case the experiment does not yield the expected 
-results.
+Participants in the InnerSource experiment are conscious of the fact that they
+have to prove to management that InnerSource yields the promised benefits. It
+will therefore help to focus work on those activites which provide the most and
+most demonstrable value thus increasing the chances of success.
 
 Finally, starting as an experiment makes it much easier to bend and adapt the 
 existing processes and rules before you break them.