Merge pull request #398 from openedx/sarina/oep-57

OEP-57 Core Product

oeps/processes/oep-0057-proc-core-product.rst

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+.. _pep_based_template:
+
+.. Below is the display in the left sidebar on RTD. Please omit leading 0's
+
+OEP-57: Core Product
+####################
+
+.. This OEP template is based on Python's PEP standard.
+
+.. list-table::
+   :widths: 25 75
+
+   * - OEP
+     - :doc:`OEP-0057 <oep-0057-proc-core-product>`
+   * - Title
+     - Core Product
+   * - Last Modified
+     - 2022-11-07
+   * - Authors
+     - | Sarina Canelake <sarina@tcril.org>
+       | Kyle McCormick <kyle@tcril.org>
+       | Jenna Makowski <jmakowski@tcril.org>
+   * - Arbiter
+     - Ali Hugo <ali@opencraft.com>
+   * - Status
+     - Accepted
+   * - Type
+     - Process
+   * - Created
+     - 2022-09-30
+   * - Review Period
+     - 2022-10-11 - 2022-11-07
+   * - References
+     - | * `Earlier draft of OEP-57 <https://github.com/openedx/open-edx-proposals/pull/312>`_
+       | * `Earlier discussions on the Core Product and Kernel <https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OEPM/pages/3499786241>`_
+       | * `Follow-up Work: Definition of Product Narrative <https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OEPM/pages/3499655173>`_
+       | * `Follow-up Work: Definition of the Core Product <https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OEPM/pages/3499589638/Core+Product+Offering>`_
+       | * Follow-up Work: Full Catalog listing (Link TBD)
+
+.. contents::
+   :local:
+   :depth: 3
+
+
+Abstract
+********
+
+This OEP defines a set of product guidelines for the Open edX platform,
+including a Product Narrative, Product Offerings, and Component Tiers, and
+describes how these principles impact the community.
+
+Motivation
+**********
+
+Since the Open edX project began in 2012, the number of features and ways to use
+the platform has proliferated. It has become increasingly difficult to build
+releases, get up and running with a new Open edX instance, and simply approach
+the platform as a new user. Recent efforts have thought about the platform
+holistically, defining different community use cases and how the platform might
+best serve those communities' needs. This work has identified that the Open edX
+project needs to be focused on defining, developing, and supporting a core set
+of functionality and associated extensions, which will be explored further in
+the next section.
+
+Specification
+*************
+
+Aligning the Open edX community on principles of product management, product
+development, and product vision is crucial to the adoption and success of the
+platform. So, in this OEP, we establish a set of terms:
+
+* the Product Narrative;
+
+* the Product Offerings: Core Product, Extended Product(s), and Full Catalog; and
+
+* four Component Tiers: Kernel, Bundled Extensions, Official Extensions, and Unofficial Extensions.
+
+The community will use this common language to understand and classify the
+components of the Open edX product. These terms will provide a decision-making
+framework for product prioritization, feature support, and the contents of the
+community release. Below, we describe the meanings of each term.
+
+Product Narrative
+=================
+
+The *Product Narrative* is defined as the high-level vision statement for the
+Open edX project. It succinctly articulates the value proposition and impact of
+the project, the features which differentiate it, and the values and
+characteristics that position it as a market-leading solution. 
+
+Ongoing work to define the Product Narrative and subsequent deliverables can be
+tracked on the `Product Narrative wiki space`_.
+
+Product Offerings
+=================
+
+Core Product
+------------
+
+The *Core Product* is defined as a clear articulation of which features,
+experiences and use cases come fully supported by the default configuration of
+the community-maintained Open edX installation. The Core Product should be the
+community's first priority when it comes to maintenance, security patches, and
+feature investment.
+
+The Core Product is defined by a set of people across the community, driven by
+the `Product Working Group`_. It is based on user and market input. It answers key
+questions such as:
+
+* How do current and future features in the default Open edX installation align
+  with the Product Narrative and the needs of users?
+
+* What current and future features and experiences are available in the Core
+  Product, and why?
+
+* What is the spectrum of alternatives if a developed feature doesn't align with
+  the Core Product? 
+
+Ongoing work to define the Core Product and subsequent deliverables can be
+tracked on the `Core Product Offering wiki space`_.
+
+Extended Product(s)
+-------------------
+
+There has been interest in the community to define one or more *Extended
+Product(s)*. These hypothetical Product Offerings would enhance the Core Product
+with a set of extensions. An Extended Product might be created to, for example,
+support a specialized Open edX use case for which the Core Product alone is not
+suited.
+
+Although this OEP acknowledges the interest in such Product Offerings, there is
+currently no plan to fully define, implement, or offer any Extended Product. If
+such a Product Offering is codified in the future, this OEP will be updated.
+
+Full Catalog
+------------
+
+The *Full Catalog* is defined as the Core Product plus all known Open edX
+extensions.
+
+An actual catalog of components will be created and maintained to be as
+comprehensive as possible. Community members will be encouraged to submit their
+extensions to be listed in the Full Catalog.
+
+Component Tiers
+===============
+
+.. image:: oep-0057/oep-57-simplified-visual.png
+   :align: center
+
+A diagram of the Product Offerings and what they contain (`LucidChart source`_)
+
+The Product Offerings defined above provide for the organization of components
+into four *Component Tiers*, described below. Each component's Tier will be
+listed in the Full Catalog and can be updated over time to reflect changes in
+its technical implementation, its maintenance status, and its relationship to
+the Product Offerings.
+
+Kernel
+------
+
+The *Kernel* [#more_on_kernel]_ is a technical term for components that cannot be
+separated from an Open edX installation. They include:
+
+* frameworks, such as XBlock, which support extensions; and
+
+* “baked-in” features, such as the `Problem Block`_ or the `Course Home`_, whose
+  implementations are tightly coupled to the core Open edX installation.
+
+Bundled Extensions
+------------------
+
+*Bundled Extensions* are components of the Core Product that are built upon the
+frameworks provided by the Kernel. Their technical implementations are decoupled
+from the Kernel, but they are purposely “bundled” (included) into the Core
+Product due to their broad utility. Like any Core Product component, this means
+they are available to end users in the default configuration of the
+community-maintained Open edX installation method.
+
+An example of a Bundled Extension is the `Open Response Assessment (ORA)`_ tool,
+which is built using the Kernel's XBlock framework.
+
+Official Extensions
+-------------------
+
+*Official Extensions* are components outside of the Core Product that the Open edX
+community believes:
+
+* fulfill a need that is consistently expressed by multiple community members, and
+
+* can be effectively maintained by the community.
+
+An example of an Official Extension is `XQueue`_, an independently deployed
+interface between the Open edX LMS and external grading systems.
+
+Unofficial Extensions
+---------------------
+
+*Unofficial Extensions* describe any and all components outside of the Core
+Product and Official Extensions that add functionality to the Open edX platform
+or integrate with it. These are authored by various members of the community.
+Authors of such components are encouraged to submit them to be listed as
+Unofficial Extensions in the Full Catalog.
+
+An example of an Unofficial Extension is `Richie`_, a CMS maintained by `FUN MOOC`_
+that integrates with the Open edX platform.
+
+Impact
+******
+
+Open edX Releases
+=================
+
+Defining the Core Product will enable the community to focus on the core
+products and services that enable the platform to be well understood and
+optimally poised to deliver powerful and wonderful learning experiences that
+meet our mission to democratize education. The Open edX named releases will,
+with adoption of the Product Offerings, be more focused. It will be easier for
+the technical team in charge of the release to both decide which repositories to
+include and which features to enable by default. Further, testing the release
+will be more focused. Test cases will cover the most common use-cases over the
+most commonly and most important components within the Open edX ecosystem.
+
+The process of creating a release will be largely unchanged from today. As
+happens currently, only one release needs to be made. It includes:
+
+* The components of the Core Product, toggled *on* by default.
+
+* Additional components, togged *off* by default. These components may include,
+  for example: Official Extensions, experimental components, and features that
+  are outside of the Core Product yet are technically coupled to it (i.e.,
+  “Baked-In Features”) [#release_impact]_.
+
+There will be little to no additional testing burden for components that are
+toggled off, as there is no promise of full community support for them. The
+testing team will work closely with the product team to determine precise
+testing plans and determine which of these additional components warrant
+testing.
+
+Open edX Component Support
+==========================
+
+With the adoption of Product Offerings, the community will be more focused on
+the highest impact parts of the project, as determined by a broad cross-section
+of the community itself. It will be clearer to the community which portions of
+the release they can expect support on, and which portions will have little to
+no support. Those components residing outside of the Core Product's Bundled
+Extensions will not be a priority of the project's product strategy. 
+
+The Core Product will be the focus of the project's product strategy; the
+project's various working groups are expected to prioritize support of the Core
+Product's components ahead of any other components. Stated directly, support
+priorities are as follows:
+
+* **Core Product**: The community will support the Core Product as its top priority.
+
+* **Official Extensions**: The community will try to support Official
+  Extensions, and it will do so largely by delegating responsibility via the
+  `Maintainers Program`_. If the community cannot consistently support or
+  maintain an Official Extension, then it may be reclassified as Unofficial.
+
+* **Unofficial Extensions**: The Open edX community will not directly support
+  Unofficial Extensions, and they will not be the focus of the Open edX project
+  or its working groups. Of course, this does not preclude individual community
+  members or teams from working on or supporting these components themselves.
+  If the community demonstrates both consistent demand and consistent support
+  for an Unofficial Extension, then it may be reclassified as Official.
+
+Product Investments
+===================
+
+A clearly defined Core Product will assist product managers conducting market
+research to more easily identify feature gaps and parity analyses. They can ask
+questions such as: Do the highest impact features of the project adequately meet
+user needs? Where are they weak? How can we best invest to address those
+weaknesses? 
+
+Marketing and Growth Efforts
+============================
+
+Both the Product Narrative and Core Product will guide marketing efforts across
+the community, enabling marketing managers to more easily articulate the central
+value proposition of the project, differentiate it from competitors, and focus
+communications on specific target audiences with particular needs.
+
+
+Notes
+*****
+
+.. [#more_on_kernel] From a technical perspective, the Kernel contains the Ideal
+    Kernel, what engineers would like the Kernel to be: a small,
+    easy-to-understand, and easy-to-maintain collection of extension frameworks
+    (such as the XBlock framework). However, the Kernel currently contains more
+    than just the Ideal Kernel; it contains a roughly-understood Ideal Kernel,
+    plus a bunch of features that are so tightly tied to the code in the Kernel
+    that it can't run without them (such as the Problem Block and Course Home).
+    There is desire in the Open edX community to refactor some or all of these
+    features to be Bundled Extensions, which would reduce the size of the Kernel
+    and bring it closer to our conceptions of an Ideal Kernel.
+    
+    The diagram of the Product Offerings and what they contain in the text
+    represents a simplified version of what the Product Offerings are, and how
+    they interact. A more full version of this visual can be seen below
+    (`LucidChart source`_). Note the distinction of the “Ideal Kernel”.
+    Another technical difference obscured in the
+    simplified diagram is the fact that some baked-in Kernel features are
+    actually outside the Core Product; although present in the Kernel, they are
+    disabled by default in the Core Product. Finally, the diagram below shows,
+    via arrows, how extensions might make use of other extensions or frameworks.
+
+    .. image:: oep-0057/oep-57-complex-visual.png
+       :align: center
+
+.. [#release_impact] In the future, there may be more specific guidance around
+    which additional components are to be included, but toggled off, in
+    releases. If created, that guidance will be linked here. Until then, it will
+    remain up to the discretion of the community and the release manager as
+    specified in `OEP-10`_.
+
+.. _Product Narrative wiki space: https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OEPM/pages/3499655173/Product+Narrative
+
+.. _Product Working Group: https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/COMM/pages/3449028609/Product+Working+Group
+
+.. _Core Product Offering wiki space: https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OEPM/pages/3499589638/Core+Product+Offering
+
+.. _LucidChart source: https://lucid.app/documents/view/45a5cd3f-60c8-4d40-8bb4-3aee2eae66d2
+
+..
+   The editable LucidChart source file is here:
+   https://lucid.app/lucidchart/45a5cd3f-60c8-4d40-8bb4-3aee2eae66d2/edit?invitationId=inv_e152fc16-d759-4cdc-bdf3-d987f11a6612&page=MHqY~t-BcHS8#
+   As of publish time, the OEP authors, arbiter, and tCRIL Engineering Team have edit access
+   (which can be requested for those looking to edit in the future)
+
+.. _Problem Block: https://github.com/openedx/edx-platform/blob/open-release/olive.master/xmodule/capa_module.py
+
+.. _Course Home: https://github.com/openedx/frontend-app-learning/tree/open-release/olive.master/src/course-home
+
+.. _Open Response Assessment (ORA): https://github.com/openedx/edx-ora2/
+
+.. _XQueue: https://github.com/openedx/xqueue
+
+.. _Richie: https://richie.education/
+
+.. _FUN MOOC: https://www.fun-mooc.fr/en/ 
+
+.. _OEP-10: https://open-edx-proposals.readthedocs.io/en/latest/processes/oep-0010-proc-openedx-releases.html
+
+.. _Maintainers Program: https://open-edx-proposals.readthedocs.io/en/latest/processes/oep-0055-proc-project-maintainers.html
+
+Change History
+**************
+
+2022-11-07
+==========
+
+* Document created
+* Review on `OEP-57 wiki page <https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/COMM/pages/3540713547/Open+edX+Proposal+57+Product+Offering>`_
+* Slight changes to the wiki review include: Combining the previous 1st and 2nd
+  footnotes into one because the text was reordered, and the 2nd footnote
+  depended on the first; using the "Open edX" trademark appropriately (it may
+  only be used as an adjective); removing forward references as discussed.
+* `Pull request #398 <https://github.com/openedx/open-edx-proposals/pull/398>`_