[Foundation-l] Priorities and opportunities

[Samuel Klein]

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 12:21 PM, Erik Moeller <erik at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> with assessment spreadsheets and standardized project briefs

Do you have links for these?


> Of course separately from setting priorities, there's the critical
> need to improve our ability to execute upon those priorities. This
> includes the further development of project pipelines, more systematic
> volunteer engagement, additional internal HR support, additional
> hiring of staff to address key capacity gaps, etc.

'Systematic volunteer engagement' sounds right but clinical.  I should
like to see investment in our voluntary supporters, contributors, and
partners to address key capacity gaps.

It seems to me effective execution at scale involves actively
acknowledging great work done by potential partners, and finding
better ways to let them align efforts with ours on their own.

For instance, letting mediawiki users help fix or submit ideas/patches
to MW through its interface; or submit/synch categories of content
with a Wikimedia project.


> http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal:Volunteer_Toolkit
> http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal:Volunteer_Management_practices_to_Expand_Participation

Interesting proposals - but they say nothing about learning and
teaching and sharing expertise.  If you're not learning, why not move
on?  And if you are learning, how important are elaborate recognition
rituals?

You go on to say that visitors to the Foundation are amazed that it is
so small.   And it is true - the Foundation does a tremendous number
of things for its size.

But in my experience most people mean they are amazed that the
/Projects/ could be run by such a small group.  And the Projects are
in fact run by thousands of people and groups with different
responsibilities, talents, and tools.  In addition to expanding the
number of participants, we need to help this network learn all of the
skills needed to sustain and enhance their work, from development to
community organizing.


< I'm thrilled by how far we've come, and to be able to have supported
> an unprecedented large-scale initiative like the usability project.

Yes, this is an excellent example.

Do you think we will be in a position to run a second usability
project of similar scope, two years from now, entirely from within the
community?


SJ