diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b7154f4a73..9ea96fe2d24 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,18 +14,20 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.17 FATAL_ERROR)
 project(O2Physics
         VERSION 0.0.1
         LANGUAGES CXX
-        DESCRIPTION "Analysis framework for O2")
+        DESCRIPTION "Physics Analysis for O2")
 
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY REPORT_UNDEFINED_PROPERTIES)
 
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
 
-# Set the default build type to "RelWithDebInfo"
-if(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
-  set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "RelWithDebInfo"
-      CACHE STRING "Choose the type of build, options are: Debug Release RelWithDebInfo MinSizeRel Coverage." FORCE)
-endif(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+cmake_host_system_information(RESULT _totalmem QUERY TOTAL_PHYSICAL_MEMORY)
+math(EXPR _total_analysis_jobs "(${_totalmem}-4096)/10240")
+if(_total_analysis_jobs LESS_EQUAL 0)
+  set(_total_analysis_jobs 1)
+endif()
+set(ANALYSIS_COMPILE_POOL ${_total_analysis_jobs} CACHE STRING "How many parallel analysis compilation jobs")
+set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY JOB_POOLS analysis=${ANALYSIS_COMPILE_POOL})
 
 # C++ standard
 if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD)
@@ -38,6 +40,12 @@ find_package(O2 CONFIG REQUIRED)
 
 feature_summary(WHAT ALL FATAL_ON_MISSING_REQUIRED_PACKAGES)
 
+include(O2PhysicsDefineOptions)
+o2physics_define_options()
+
+# External dependencies
+include(dependencies/CMakeLists.txt)
+
 # Include macros
 include(O2PhysicsNameTarget)
 include(O2PhysicsAddExecutable)
diff --git a/cmake/O2PhysicsDefineOptions.cmake b/cmake/O2PhysicsDefineOptions.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d647fa2fde0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/O2PhysicsDefineOptions.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Copyright 2019-2020 CERN and copyright holders of ALICE O2.
+# See https://alice-o2.web.cern.ch/copyright for details of the copyright holders.
+# All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
+#
+# This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+# License v3 (GPL Version 3), copied verbatim in the file "COPYING".
+#
+# In applying this license CERN does not waive the privileges and immunities
+# granted to it by virtue of its status as an Intergovernmental Organization
+# or submit itself to any jurisdiction.
+
+include_guard()
+
+function(o2physics_define_options)
+
+  option(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS "Build shared libs" ON)
+
+  option(ENABLE_CASSERT "Enable asserts" OFF)
+
+  option(ENABLE_UPGRADES "Enable detectors for upgrades" OFF)
+endfunction()
diff --git a/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt b/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bf95bfbd59e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Copyright 2019-2020 CERN and copyright holders of ALICE O2.
+# See https://alice-o2.web.cern.ch/copyright for details of the copyright holders.
+# All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
+#
+# This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+# License v3 (GPL Version 3), copied verbatim in the file "COPYING".
+#
+# In applying this license CERN does not waive the privileges and immunities
+# granted to it by virtue of its status as an Intergovernmental Organization
+# or submit itself to any jurisdiction.
+
+include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/O2PhysicsCompileFlags.cmake")
diff --git a/dependencies/O2PhysicsCompileFlags.cmake b/dependencies/O2PhysicsCompileFlags.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f0a91656b20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dependencies/O2PhysicsCompileFlags.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Copyright 2019-2020 CERN and copyright holders of ALICE O2.
+# See https://alice-o2.web.cern.ch/copyright for details of the copyright holders.
+# All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
+#
+# This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+# License v3 (GPL Version 3), copied verbatim in the file "COPYING".
+#
+# In applying this license CERN does not waive the privileges and immunities
+# granted to it by virtue of its status as an Intergovernmental Organization
+# or submit itself to any jurisdiction.
+
+include_guard()
+
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_COVERAGE "-g -O2 -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_COVERAGE "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_COVERAGE}")
+set(CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS_COVERAGE "-g -O2 -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage")
+set(CMAKE_LINK_FLAGS_COVERAGE "--coverage -fprofile-arcs  -fPIC")
+
+MARK_AS_ADVANCED(
+    CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_COVERAGE
+    CMAKE_C_FLAGS_COVERAGE
+    CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS_COVERAGE
+    CMAKE_LINK_FLAGS_COVERAGE)
+
+#Check the compiler and set the compile and link flags
+IF (NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+  Message(STATUS "Set BuildType to DEBUG")
+  set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Debug)
+ENDIF (NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+
+IF(ENABLE_CASSERT) #For the CI, we want to have <cassert> assertions enabled
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "-O2")
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g")
+ELSE()
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "-O2 -DNDEBUG")
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g -DNDEBUG")
+    if (CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "RELEASE" OR CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "RELWITHDEBINFO")
+      set(FAIR_MIN_SEVERITY "info")
+    endif()
+ENDIF()
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE}")
+set(CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS_RELEASE "-O2")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO}" CACHE STRING "bla")
+set(CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g")
+# make sure Debug build not optimized (does not seem to work without CACHE + FORCE)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "-g -O0" CACHE STRING "Debug mode build flags" FORCE)
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG}" CACHE STRING "Debug mode build flags" FORCE)
+set(CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS_DEBUG "-g -O0" CACHE STRING "Debug mode build flags" FORCE)
+
+if(APPLE)
+  set(CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS} -Wl,-undefined,error") # avoid undefined in our libs
+elseif(UNIX)
+  set(CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS} -Wl,--no-undefined") # avoid undefined in our libs
+endif()
+
+message(STATUS "Using build type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE} - CXXFLAGS: ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}}")