<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Good replies Andreas!<div><br></div><div>I like your vision.</div><div><br></div><div>I think it would be useful to also have a vision for <a href="http://QGIS.org">QGIS.org</a>. My vision has always been to have a well funded sustainable organisation with dedicated staff that work at the direction of the board to maintain the project infrastructure and key resources (documentation, testing environment etc.) whilst leaving the community to innovate and bring new features and functionality to the project.</div><div><br></div><div>I also think that part of our vision should be to have a seat at the table of major industry standards bodies so that we can help to set the direction of the industry as a whole. Maybe this last one is achieved by OSGEO but I think we should have more presence there as probably the world's most used desktop GIS.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for responding to the survey Andreas!<br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr"><div style="direction: inherit;">Tim Sutton </div><div style="direction: inherit;">Co-founder of Kartoza </div><div style="direction: inherit;">Ex-QGIS project chairman </div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>On 9 Jun 2019, at 19:45, Paolo Cavallini <<a href="mailto:cavallini@faunalia.it">cavallini@faunalia.it</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><span>Hi Andreas,</span><br><span>thanks for dealing with this.</span><br><span>I'm happy with your replies. Just a few comments:</span><br><span>* I think we do collect some usage metrics (volume of downloads on</span><br><span>cloudflare, hits on versions.txt, number of plugin downloads, etc.),</span><br><span>although I agree that none of them is sensu stricto a measure, rather an</span><br><span>estimate</span><br><span>* I can't read your replies on Roadmap, Requirements capture (Other) in</span><br><span>its entirety</span><br><span>* I think it is fair to say that we do manage our roadmap by open and</span><br><span>public discussion on our mailing list and PSC meetings</span><br><span>* I find your TODO a bit pessimistic, I believe we have to be very proud</span><br><span>of what the whole community has done; of course we can and will improve,</span><br><span>but I should not emphasize weak points: I think we have less than most</span><br><span>projects.</span><br><span>Cheers.</span><br><span></span><br><span>On 09/06/19 13:00, Andreas Neumann wrote:</span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Hi,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Steven Feldman conducted a survey on product management processes in</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>OSGeo projects. The results will be presented at the FOSS4G in Bukarest.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>In agreement with Paolo, I participated on behalf of <a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>> to submit and explain the current situation of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a> <<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>> in this aspect.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>I am forwarding the questionnaire and my replies for your review. If you</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>find something wrong in my statements or if I missed something</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>substantial, please speak up and I will send Steven a corrected version.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Thanks and greetings,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Andreas </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>---------- Forwarded message ---------</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>From: *Google Forms* <<a href="mailto:forms-receipts-noreply@google.com">forms-receipts-noreply@google.com</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="mailto:forms-receipts-noreply@google.com">mailto:forms-receipts-noreply@google.com</a>>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2019 at 12:54</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Subject: Product management processes in OSGeo projects</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>To: <<a href="mailto:andreas@qgis.org">andreas@qgis.org</a> <<a href="mailto:andreas@qgis.org">mailto:andreas@qgis.org</a>>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Google Forms</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Thanks for filling out Product management processes in OSGeo projects</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepJf73WAxem6lxBCY0grv4KGln3M0frmIW0fgoM-injyn8YA/viewform?usp=mail_form_link">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepJf73WAxem6lxBCY0grv4KGln3M0frmIW0fgoM-injyn8YA/viewform?usp=mail_form_link</a>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Here's what we got from you:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Product management processes in OSGeo projects</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Thank you for agreeing to help me in researching product management</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>processes in OSGeo projects. My aim is to try and establish:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• Does the Open Source collaborative development model incorporate and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>support product management disciplines?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• Are there formal product management strategies within the OSGeo Community?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• How is a roadmap developed?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• Is the roadmap inspired by a cohesive vision or is it driven by the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>willingness of larger users to fund features?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• How do projects get to hear the voice of the user?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• Do software development methodologies impact product management?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>• Are there best practices that we can learn from and share?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Following on from this survey I plan to contact some (most) of the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>respondents and if you are available conduct a short interview with you</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>via a call or by email.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>It would be great if you could complete this survey by 3rd June 2019.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>I hope to present the results of this research at FOSS4G at the end of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the summer, I will also write up the results and share with our</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>community and others. Subject to timing I will make an early version of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>my presentation/write up available to respondents for comment before</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>publication.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Thanks once again for your help</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>May the FOSS be with you</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Steven</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Email address *</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="mailto:andreas@qgis.org">andreas@qgis.org</a> <<a href="mailto:andreas@qgis.org">mailto:andreas@qgis.org</a>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> A bit about you and your project</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If you think someone else on your project steering team should be</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>completing this survey as well as or instead of you please forward the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>survey to them</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Your name *</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Andreas Neumann</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Project *</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>QGIS</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>What is your role in the project team?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Steering Committee Chair or Member, Contributor, Other?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>PSC and board member</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How long have you been active within the project team?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>13 years, but only 4 years on PSC/board</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Are you willing to participate in a short interview</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Yes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Maybe </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Best way to contact you for an interview</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Google Hangouts</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Skype</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * WhatsApp call</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * email</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Product management processes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>I have set out a series of questions below that will help me to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>understand how your project sets goals, converts them to a roadmap and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>then prioritises features. It will make collating your response easier</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>if you can respond to these questions but if you find that too tedious</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>or if your responses don't fit with the structure of my questions then I</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>have given you the option of including a long form text answer at the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>end of the questionnaire.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Vision and Goals</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Has your project set out a vision and a set of goals that drive the roadmap?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Does your project have a clear statement of vision or purpose?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Why are you and others committing time to this project? What do you hope</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>to achieve?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Yes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Sort of </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Does your project have a set of goals or targets that you are trying to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>achieve?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>These may be the metrics by which you can measure success,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Yes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Sort of </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Do you gather any usage metrics about your project</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Yes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Vision and goals</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If available please paste your vision and goals in this section or add a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>link to them</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>No official vision yet - but that reminds me that we should come up with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>one and publish it. Here is one proposal (just formulated by myself and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>not discussed yet with the PSC. ): To make GIS available and affordable</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>to anyone who is interested in using GIS, regardless of the budget and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>resources they have at hand. To be a user friendly GIS for Desktop,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Server and Mobile. To be available for many platforms (Linux, Mac,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Windows, Android). Road Map and new features to be defined by active</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>users, funders and devlopers (bottom up and not top down). Note that</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>this not the official vision - just my proposal from myself and not yet</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>discussed and sanctioned by the PSC and voting members. I will start a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>discussion to come up with a vision and goals.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Roadmap</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do you establish and maintain the roadmap for your project?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Do you have a roadmap for your project?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * None</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * 1 year</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * 2 year</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * 3 year</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>What methodology do you use to manage your roadmap?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>These are some of the most common methods for managing a roadmap, do you</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>use one of them? If not please describe how you plan and communicate</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>your roadmap.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Priority Buckets (Now, Next, Later)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Categorize, Cluster and Communicate (e.g.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="https://library.gv.com/climbing-mount-enterprise-99a4d014f942">https://library.gv.com/climbing-mount-enterprise-99a4d014f942</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://library.gv.com/climbing-mount-enterprise-99a4d014f942&sa=D&ust=1560081262829000&usg=AFQjCNFN8mtLoU2IhOvFgyYVukyB-1hUOw">https://www.google.com/url?q=https://library.gv.com/climbing-mount-enterprise-99a4d014f942&sa=D&ust=1560081262829000&usg=AFQjCNFN8mtLoU2IhOvFgyYVukyB-1hUOw</a>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> )</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * 3 feature buckets (Customer requests, Metrics movers, Customer delight)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No formal process to manage roadmap</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Link to your roadmap</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If you publish a roadmap please provide a link to the current version</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="https://www.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/development/roadmap.html">https://www.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/development/roadmap.html</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Feature prioritisation</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do you prioritise features within the next release(s) of your project?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Sponsored Features</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>To what extent do you prioritise features that are wholly or partly</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>sponsored by users of the software? Does this create any conflicts in</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>terms of feature prioritisation or your roadmap? Please be assured that</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>any responses on sponsored features will be anonymised so that your</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>project and sponsors will not be identified.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>There is no differentiation between features that are sponsored and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>features that are developed and submitted from volunteers. Because our</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>road map is strictly time-based and not feature based (we don't</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>communicate or promise any new features in advance) there is also no</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>top-down prioritization done by the PSC. It is really the developers who</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>decide when something is ready to be released and it is also the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>developers who prioritize their work by themselves. If a customer of a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>QGIS developer comes up with a new feature and new requirements, they</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>can consult the road map with the time line and discuss with their</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>developer to find out what release date can be realistically targeted,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>taking into account time for preparation, discussion of QEP (QGIS</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>enhancement proposal), development time, testing and bug fixing.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>What methodology do you use to prioritise features within your next</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>release?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>These are some of the most common methods for prioritising features, do</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>you use one of them? If not please describe how you prioritise features.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Kano (Delighters, Satisfiers, Basic Expectations)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * MoSCoW (Must, Should, Could, Won't)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Buy a Feature (each team member gets an allocation of points and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> assign to features)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No formal process to prioritise features</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Requirements Capture</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do you capture and document requirements within your project?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Requirements</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do you identify user requirements</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * User Stories</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Job Stories</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Detailed feature descriptions</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Surveys</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> I can't describe our product management process by responding to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> your questions!</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>This is the pint where you can just write whatever you wish about the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>product management processes in your project and include answers to the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>questions that I have neglected to ask!</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Answering your way</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Write whatever you wish in this section</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>It was a very good decision to introduce a strictly time-based road map</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>for QGIS and don't wait for specific features to be ready until we</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>release the upcoming version. Before that switch to a time-based release</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>schedule we had endless discussions when a new release would be ready or</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>not. The only exception is when we do a new major release that is</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>dependent on major technological changes, such as the change from QGIS 1</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>to 2, or 2 to 3, where a lot of technical changes happened under the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>hood (e.g. switching qt version or Python version, API changes, etc.).</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>In such a major change everything has to work as expected and it is very</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>hard to predict when everything is ready. The other convention we have</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>is, that during a major release cycle, the API has to remain stable. API</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>changes are only allowed when a new major QGIS version is prepared. We</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>often work as a "do-ocracy". Many tasks and development work are picked</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>up by contributors or developers as they see the need and can contribute</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>resources. Coordination happens on regular PSC meetings (monthly),</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>bi-annual developer meetings and through Github and mailing lists or on</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>IRC. The "bottom up" process regarding new features and their</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>prioritization usually works fine for us currently - it gives the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>users/funders/developers a lot of freedom to decide when something can</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>get into a future QGIS version. They are not at the mercy of a product</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>management team or of the PSC who would decide on what gets into QGIS or</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>not. So the power is at the users/funders and developers and not with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the PSC and board. Should something really controversial come up during</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the process, we have an established voting system consisting of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>community voting members, user groups voting members and an OSGEO</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>representative. We don't / can't work like a classical software company,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>because QGIS developers are not the employees of <a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>>, but are individual developers, volunteers or</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>employees from support and development companies who work independent of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a> <<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>>, but collaborate under the umbrella of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a> <<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>>. In this setup of our organization we can't</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>dictate or enforce rules and decisions on our contributors and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>developers but have to work out compromises and convince the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>contributors to accept the proposals by the community, PSC and board.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>TODO: QGIS as a project certainly has some weak points we should improve</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>in our organization and release process and project management. We</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>should come up with a common and clear vision. Quality assurance is</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>always a challenge and most of our donations and sustaining membership</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>contributions go into bug fixing and improving our code quality and testing.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> The last bit</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>A few questions about the organisation of product management within your</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>project, your analysis of your competitors and your communications with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>your users.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do product management decisions sit within your project's organisation?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Who makes the decisions?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Project Steering Committee</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * A Product Management sub-committee</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * The contributors decide</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Do you track what your competitors are doing?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Yes</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * No</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * We don't have any competitors</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> * Other: </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>How do you track competitor developments?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If you are tracking competitor developments how do you do so? If not,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>can you explain why this is not a consideration in determining the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>direction of your project?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If our contributors and funders think that some competitor</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>project/product offers something we don't have, or does something than</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>we do, they can bring ideas to the table and if it is important to them,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>they will invest (time and/or financial resources) to add these missing</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>pieces or improve our software and project.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Do end users get a say on the roadmap?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Do you have a channel for dialogue with your users? How do you reach</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>them and how important is their input in determining your roadmap?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Yes, definitely. We have votes on QGIS grant proposals and with their</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>investments (time and money) they can decide what gets into QGIS or not.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Any last thoughts?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Anything I haven't asked you that you would like to share</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Create your own Google Form</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms?usp=mail_form_link">https://docs.google.com/forms?usp=mail_form_link</a>></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>-- </span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>--</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Andreas Neumann</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a> <<a href="http://QGIS.ORG">http://QGIS.ORG</a>> board member (treasurer)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Qgis-psc mailing list</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="mailto:Qgis-psc@lists.osgeo.org">Qgis-psc@lists.osgeo.org</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-psc">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-psc</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>-- </span><br><span>Paolo Cavallini - <a href="http://www.faunalia.eu">www.faunalia.eu</a></span><br><span><a href="http://QGIS.ORG">QGIS.ORG</a> Chair:</span><br><span><a href="http://planet.qgis.org/planet/user/28/tag/qgis%20board/">http://planet.qgis.org/planet/user/28/tag/qgis%20board/</a></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Qgis-psc mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Qgis-psc@lists.osgeo.org">Qgis-psc@lists.osgeo.org</a></span><br><span><a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-psc">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-psc</a></span></div></blockquote></div></body></html>