In the Spring of 2015, the founding members of the Open ROADM MSA recognized the limitations of today's ROADM eco-system and set out to define interoperability requirements to increase the pace of innovation, while enabling SDN software control and abstraction through open interface definitions. A successful Plugfest in February 2016 convinced all members that the specifications were in good enough condition to be shared with the rest of the industry and look for other interested parties. To foster speed and innovation, the decision of the members was to create a Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for Open ROADM and opening up the MSA to other to join.