# Mark Downie: Balancing The Promises That Open Source Projects Make

EP-074 | November 9, 2020 | 41:18



Topics: Open Source, Engineering Culture


Robby speaks with Mark Downie, Program Manager at Microsoft. They discuss the benefits of frameworks and approaches to making your open source project accessible and welcoming to new contributors and users. Mark also shares how Visual Studio's workflow for navigating customer requirements and getting early feedback, along with an introduction to what a Program Manager role is responsible for on the Visual Studio team.





## Show Notes

Robby speaks with Mark Downie, Program Manager at Microsoft. They discuss the benefits of frameworks and approaches to making your open source project accessible and welcoming to new contributors and users. Mark also shares how Visual Studio's workflow for navigating customer requirements and getting early feedback, along with an introduction to what a Program Manager role is responsible for on the Visual Studio team.

## Helpful Links

- [Mark on Twitter](https://twitter.com/poppastring)
- [Mark's Blog](https://www.poppastring.com/blog)
- [Book Recommendation] [The Customer-Driven Playbook](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/the-customer-driven-playbook/9781491981269/)

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## Transcript



