Hi Katherine,
Thanks for the update.
My impression is that the strategy process is time intensive for the staff and the consultants involved, and I am concerned that extending the timeline like this will result in significant extra costs on top of what was already understood to be an expensive process, and my impression from your email is that the benefit from this extension will primarily go to the relatively small number of users, staff, and other stakeholders who are deeply involved in some affiliates.
How much is this timeline extension projected to cost, and from what source are the funds being drawn?
Could you elaborate on the benefits of this timetable change for people who are not involved with affiliates?
I am mindful of the many things that would be good to do in the Wikiverse that aren't being done due to financial and HR constraints, and I am concerned that this extension of the timeline will cost a lot of money (it wouldn't surprise me if the number was five or six figures) that could instead have been used for any number of other good projects.
Could you also discuss what measures are being taken to control costs in the strategy process?
Thank you,
Pine
On Fri, Jun 23, 2017 at 12:55 PM, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi y'all!
*Summary: Cycle 2 has concluded, and we are sharing a revised plan for Cycle 3 based on your feedback.*
Thank you to everyone that participated in Cycle 2![1] A quick overview of participation:
- More than 50 Wikimedia groups, including:
-- Art+Feminism User Group -- WikiDonne's User Group -- Wikimedia Ghana User Group -- Wikimedia Poland
- More than 1,000 individual participants
- Nearly 2,300 statements
In addition to the weekly summaries already available on Meta-Wiki,[2] we will also be posting a final report in the coming weeks.
Over the past few weeks I’ve heard from many of you with feedback, concerns, and excitement regarding the movement strategy. Thank you, truly, to everyone that has reached out to share your thoughts. They have been so helpful in understanding your perspectives and needs.
Some things I’ve heard:
- Curiosity around how the findings from the different tracks will come
together
- Request from affiliates for more time to engage more deeply in these
topics
- Passionate and divergent ideas from non-editors who support our vision
- A desire to get as many endorsements from around the movement on the
strategic direction as possible
I asked the strategy team for help in responding to this feedback, so we could improve the process based on what you were telling us. After discussions with the team and community advisors, we have decided to move to a more flexible schedule, and change the timeline. This will provide more time for discussions in your own communities. We also hope you will use the time to deeply consider the research emerging from the New Voices track,[3] and incorporate it into the way you are thinking about our future.
Here is the new proposed timeline:
- July: Complete Cycle 3. Integrate insights from New Voices. Draft the
strategic direction.
- August: Share the strategic direction. Wikimania! Finalize the
direction.
- September: Sign on! Confirm support from around the movement.
As July approaches, we will share more information about opportunities to participate in drafting the strategic direction[4] and engage with New Voices content.[3]
Thank you for your patience as we worked through these improvements, and again, thank you for the feedback!
*On a related note*
As you have hopefully noticed, Wikimania is a part of the strategy process and it is coming up soon! (I’m so excited!) A draft program schedule has been posted[5]. The schedule includes five keynote sessions from great speakers such as Esra'a Al Shafei [6] and Evan Prodromou,[7] more than 100 community-submitted talks, and two days of hackathon and pre-conference activities. Early bird pricing for registration ends on July 10 and the deadline for booking accommodations in the hotel is June 30, so if you have not done so already - please register today![8]
Bene habeas (Latin translation: “May it be well for you”) Katherine
PS. A version of this message is available for translation on Meta-Wiki.[9]
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Cycle_2 [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Sources [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Cycle_2/Reach [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Participate [5] https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/Programme [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esra%27a_Al-Shafei [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Prodromou [8] https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/Registration [9] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Updates/23_June_2017_-_Update_19_on_Wikimedia_ movement_strategy_process
-- Katherine Maher
Wikimedia Foundation 149 New Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94105
+1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 <(415)%20839-6885> +1 (415) 712 4873 <(415)%20712-4873> kmaher@wikimedia.org https://annual.wikimedia.org
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