Sharing Osmius experiences in Startup Boot Camp Ma

Sharing recipes from Osmius experience

José Luis Marina@jlmarina

It is possible to build big and complex products with a few good people.

The Osmius Development Team

What is Osmius?

Osmius is Open software that allows us to monitorand supervise anything connected to a network

Osmius is Open software that allows us to monitorand supervise anything connected to a network

What problem addresses Osmius?

You can't manage your Xif you don't monitor you Key Indicators (Y).

You can't manage your Xif you don't monitor you Key Indicators (Y).

Where X and Y can be:X = your car Y = {speed, rpm}X = your startup Y = {clicks, sales, new visitors}X = your systems Y = {cpu_load, memory, band widht, latency}X = solar power plant Y = {kwh, radiation, weather forecast}X = business Y = {human res., incomes, pending orders}

What is Osmius?

5

Systems

Host Server, ApplicationsDatabases

Service is down Response time

CPU % Load

And what about...Social networks?Business KPIs?

News about a new protein?

Applications

Web ApplicationsServicesEnd user

experience

Response timeTransactions

Osmius competitorsThe Big Four in monitoring

HP OpenView , IBM Tivoli, BMC Patrol, CAOld Complex IT_only Expensive Expensive Expensive

Other professional Monitoring ProductsZennos 60 employees $21 M USAHyperic 30 employees $11 M USA (springSource) System oriented scalability technology (python, java)

Free Software Monitoring ProductsZabbixNagiosOld ComplexNo support No RoadMap

$ figures come from http://www.crunchbase.com

Osmius facts

Osmius is a complex product with a big MVP

Osmius offers more than “big”/old companies/products

A small team did it in 3 years (first product)

Working 6 hours a day (90% of the days)

Recipes from the experience

Some may work for you...some won't

Recipes: Building the team from scratch

use people you know worked with

use the power of word of mouth

don't trust psychological profilesyou know how nerds(we) are

respect people independence

Recipes: Hiring::Dead man strategy

by default you are dead (fired) in one month

if you prevailed your are dead again in 6 months.

Unless the are positive reasons to go on working together

This avoids to keep with people for lazy reasons.

Of course you don't know this strategy (it wouldn't be fair)

Normally you know things aren't working.

Sounds worst than it actually is.

Recipes: total freedom and responsibility

treat people like adults

All the results are clearly advantages:● Sharing decisions (product, marketing, even finances)● No wasted time as a watch dog (double lost: my time, your time)● Transparency● This is motivation

Results and demo every month Stable releases: Twice a year Task: Lasts two days máximum. Updated every day. Visibility Enables work at home (no bosses).Scrum master rotates

Results and demo every month Stable releases: Twice a year Task: Lasts two days máximum. Updated every day. Visibility Enables work at home (no bosses).Scrum master rotates

Recipes: Methodology

Recipes: six hours

treat people like adults, again

The trick here is a combination of these ideas:

● Those 6 hours must be real 6 f****g focused hours.● After 6 hours of real programming: Don't touch the keyboard!● Every task is time boxed (see methodology)● Group pressure is more intense than “the boss pressure”

“Race is long”

Recipes: developing software

speed matters

tune every query

always test 100x elements

documentation is part of a finished task

design matters: look and work

English is mandatory

open your roadmap

Recipes: open/free source software

accept that there are users that will never pay for your software

it helps with distribution at no cost

But...

partners need you to be non-free

they want their share of Osmius “licenses”

Osmius Enterprise Edition works for us

Some final advice (we didn't check these)

Why kill the bear if you didn't sell the skin?

“find the customers first or ASAP”

Business plans. Sale cycles are looong.

Find customers outside the in-crisis territories

Use partners: they can reach where you can't

Osmius www.osmius.com

Osmius Manual – Wikiwww.osmius.com/osmwiki

José Luis Marinawww.jlmarina.net

@jlmarina

Osmius www.osmius.com

Osmius Manual – Wikiwww.osmius.com/osmwiki

José Luis Marinawww.jlmarina.net

@jlmarina