*Dear Wikimedians,As I have learned that in some groups and communities
there are ongoing discussions regarding participation in the Working Groups
and we also need to make further efforts to ensure a more diverse pool of
applicants, we are extending the call for Working Groups [1] by one week,
new deadline being *July 2, 2018*.I am also taking the time to organize Q&A
sessions about the Movement Strategy Process and the Working Group model. I
am sharing a Doodle link with you, where you can sign up for any of the
offered sessions next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday [2}.Thanks to
those of you who have already applied!Have a great weekend!Kaarel[1]
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Working_Groups/Apply>[2]
<https://doodle.com/poll/8fr7a7giw9n4cg5n>*
On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 3:22 AM Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Kaarel,
Thank you for following up.
Regarding product and technology, I agree that they are closely
interrelated, but I remain concerned about assigning such a broad scope of
responsibilities to a single WG, and about the potential overlap of the WG
with the existing TechCom and the Platform Evaluation Initiative. I would
like to hear thoughts from Toby and/or Victoria about these issues, perhaps
on the talk page of the WG.
I am glad that further thought is being given to the time commitment to
the WGs. I hope to discuss this further with you, perhaps in a Hangouts
meeting next week.
Thank you for your responsiveness to input.
Pine
(
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
-------- Original message --------From: Kaarel Vaidla <
kvaidla(a)wikimedia.org> Date: 6/18/18 1:34 PM (GMT-08:00) To:
wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Movement
Strategy: Open Call for Working Group
members
Dear Pine,
Product & Technology are closely interrelated themes. We do not have a
product without technology and technology is developed according to our
product vision & design. The Working Group will not duplicate the
discussions, but ensure that different existing processes feed into each
other. In addition to that, we will work closely with Wikimedia
Foundation
Product and Technology departments to ensure the value of Working Group
conversations.
The question regarding time commitment is valid and we are happy to
discuss
it with people interested in participating in the Working Groups. We want
everyone to be realistic about the extent of work ahead of us, but also
need diversity of perspectives in the Working Groups to have meaningful
conversations and a successful process. We have now specified the
language
to expectation of “*an average* of 5 hours per week” (as Lodewijk has
already noted), which is more in line with what we have in mind.
It is also possible to state in the application form what is the working
time that one can commit to the working groups and it can be less than 5
hours. We can then note the interest as well as background and decide
with
the Steering Committee about the options of including these people in the
workstreams. Also Working Groups will be working in the open and there
will
be feedback cycles for including voices from the wider movement and
perspectives that are not represented in the Working Groups.
Process budget is out of my scope of work, but your question has been
forwarded to the relevant people.
Have a good continuation to your week!
Kaarel
On Fri, Jun 15, 2018 at 3:29 AM Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Kaarel,
On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 3:00 PM, Kaarel Vaidla <kvaidla(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
> Dear Pine and Lodewijk,
>
> Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feedback. I would like to
comment
> on some of your concerns in my role as the
Process Architect.
>
> The scope for all groups has been defined in quite a broad way,
mainly to
> keep the level of conversations high and
mitigate the risk of too
much
time
> being spent on details and tactical issues. For the Technology &
Product
> group for example, we think that there are
more benefits in
connecting
them
> than separating people with expertise and connections within both
areas.
>
I concede that I know much less about MediaWiki than some of the
engineers
who have been here for years, but I think that I
know enough to say
that
the scope of work for the Product and Technology
group looks ambitious
and
could be segmented into two or more WGs with more
specific scopes that
could coordinate their work when necessary. Perhaps you could share,
here
or on the talk page
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Wo…
>,
your analysis that led you to conclude that a single working group is
the
best way to go for the Product & Technology
group. Also, please
explain how
you anticipate that the group will sync its
efforts with TechCom and
the
Platform Evolution initiative, so as to avoid
confusion and
duplication of
effort. If someone like Victoria would like to
comment here or on the
talk
page, I'd be glad to hear their perspective.
I think that it would be
good
to get clarity on these issues early in the
process.
>
> We are indeed looking for high commitment in the Working Groups as we
would
> like the participants to be well informed and effective in the
> conversations. Working Group members will not only be participating
in
> discussion meetings, but reading through
existing materials,
research and
> preparing for the meetings. In addition to
that, we expect some time
to
go
> to contextualizing these materials and carrying the conversations
from
the
> Working Groups into their “home” groups and communities – and vice
versa.
> This takes time and we want to be clear
about it, as to avoid Working
Group
> dropout, burnout and ensure the presence of the diverse perspectives
> throughout the process.
>
I am glad that you are being clear about your goals. However, I think
that
they will limit the diversity of participants to
people who think that
they
will have lots of available volunteer time for
nine months and/or are
willing to divert 5+ hours per week from other valuable volunteer
activities. I think that this goal is inadvisable for the sake of the
diversity of the WGs and also because of the potential diversion of
significant volunteer hours from other valuable activities.
>
> For both volunteers and staff members it will mean prioritizing.
That is
> the reason we are encouraging discussions
inside your communities,
groups,
> collaboratives and organizations to decide who are the best
representatives
> of your perspectives and expertise. For many organizations and
groups,
the
> coming year will be a transition year, with time set aside for
strategic
> planning and a redistribution of
responsibilities within the
organization
> or group. As to individuals - it is of
course up to them to decide
what
> they can manage and not and what are the
priorities in their
contributions.
>
Unfortunately, at this point, I am not going to recommend that most
people
participate in these WGs because I feel that the
time commitment that
you
are requesting is excessive. Of course,
volunteers are free to make
their
own choices, but volunteering for WGs is not a
course of action that I
am
likely to recommend to most people. I am not
trying to undermine your
good
intentions, but I think that you are requesting
far too much and that
you
would be more successful in encouraging diverse
participation if your
requests for volunteers' time was more modest.
>
> Thank you so much for the feedback targeted towards ensuring clarity
around
> the process and some of the specific points regarding participation
in
the
> Working Groups.
>
Again, I appreciate your clarifying your expectations, although I would
encourage you to revise them.
Also, please respond to my question about the budget for this phase of
the
strategy process that I made in my previous
email. I would hope that
WMF
made a detailed budget for this phase of the
strategy, and as with
other
strategy documents I would hope that it would be
published.
Pine
(
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
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--
*Kaarel Vaidla*
Process Architect for
Wikimedia Movement Strategy
2030.wikimedia.org
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