As I've alluded to a few times, I've been working with Sue to start a long-term strategic planning process. This was a major topic of our last board meeting, and after the meeting the board formally passed a resolution directing Sue to develop this process. You will be hearing more about this shortly, but first I want to share the text of the resolution itself, which was passed unanimously as follows:
Whereas the Wikimedia Foundation intends to develop a strategic plan laying out a course of action for the next three to five years, the Board of Trustees directs its Executive Director, Sue Gardner, to develop and execute a strategic planning process, in close consultation with the Board, and on its behalf.
The work of the Wikimedia Foundation is founded in the premise that open, mass collaboration is the most effective method for achieving high-quality decisionmaking. Therefore, we ask that the strategic planning process be designed to include input from a wide range of sources, including Wikimedia volunteers and supporters representing a diversity of geographies and projects. We ask that the process also aim to solicit input from parties who are currently not part of the Wikimedia community, in an effort to broaden our knowledge base and benefit from new ideas and information.
The principles guiding this process should include:
* Transparency. As much as possible, work should be done in public, and be visible to all.
* Participation. The mechanisms used to solicit input should be designed to be as open as reasonably possible, and to encourage broad participation.
* Collaboration. We recognize that we will not develop a consensus strategy that pleases everyone. We will need to make difficult decisions that may prove unpopular. But we believe that people who want to have a voice in the process, should be heard.
--Michael Snow