# How to Start a Project

Steps to make a successful OGC collaboration project:

1. **Idea**. Have a project idea that can benefit multiple governments (cities, counties, states, agencies, countries).
2. **Open Source.** Post your open source code (or Readme) to GitHub.
3. **Requirements**. Validate that your project aligns with a majority of the OGC [Features and Requirements](/welcome/master.md).
4. **Discuss**. Contact OGC by opening an [Issue](https://github.com/GovInTheOpen/Project-Portfolio/issues) to discuss adding your project ([example](https://github.com/GovInTheOpen/Project-Portfolio/issues/1)).  See all [projects](https://github.com/GovInTheOpen/Project-Portfolio/projects/1).
5. **Promote**. OGC will promote your project and help garner support from govs.
6. **Lead**. You will lead the project by:
   1. working with govs and citizens to help them code and give them credit
   2. organizing roadmap and work by using Git's Wiki, Project, and Issues area
   3. defining a clear vision of what success looks like for the project
   4. aligning companies and non-profits to be funding sponsors and promoters ($)
   5. finding a developer to help speed things along ($)
7. **Launch**. Deploy the project to your gov, and help other govs launch it too.
8. **Sustainability**. Build a paid support structure so govs and sponsors can fund a developer to ($): 
   1. maintain code
   2. help with gov implementation (training, deployment, support)
   3. integrate changes and updates to any part of the project
   4. implement new features voted on by govs
   5. help project manage

*Items marked with a ($) involve funding by interested parties, something we think is essential for short term acceleration and long term success of a project.*


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