Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
technology does not get in the way of collaboration. If a collaborative
culture is to be enabled then it must be ensured that colleagues fi nd the
tools are intuitive, integrate into their workfl ows and require minimal
training.
13.3 Conclusion
The availability of free and open source software was a critical enabler in
our ability to introduce and build collaborative capabilities for research
and development at Pfi zer. In the early phases where experimentation and
agility were critical, FLOSS allowed us to rapidly explore a capability by
examining various different approaches. This was further enabled
through the availability of packaged distributions that incorporated the
complete technology stack. The ability to download and run a personal
version of a tool, on your desktop or even via a USB drive, meant that
participation in the Discovery phase was opened up to many more
participants than possible with 'traditional' software. This allowed a
diverse community of interest to develop and actively contribute from the
very beginning. In the Proof of Concept stage, these strengths of FLOSS
were also enabling but the fact that many are also of high quality allowed
us to explore how collaboration capabilities really add value within the
organisation. The ability to test the ideas and 'stories' that were circulating
on the web at this time was invaluable and lead us to really appreciate the
different challenges that implementing these tools produce. All of this
done without one licensing discussion or vendor engagement and for zero
investment costs.
As we move into the Production Deployment phase, the emphasis
switches from enabling experimentation to deploying a robust solution
on which business critical processes may depend. The experience gained
from working with the FLOSS solutions was central to making the tools
selection at this stage. In many cases, FLOSS solutions scored highly, and
often outscored vendor offering in terms of features, user experience and
user interface. However, at this point we also needed to take into account
how a tool would be supported, developed and maintained. In this
respect, many FLOSS solutions scored poorly, and as a consequence
compromises may have to be made. Specifi cally, where a capability fi ts
with a niche or specialist need, the FLOSS community supporting that
the tool tends to be small (Scuttle or Status.net, for example). In these
cases, the risks and burden in selecting these solutions for a production
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