[Board] discussion on osgeo projects, osgeo community and incubation

Tue Aug 1 16:46:06 PDT 2017

Thanks Cameron, you are doing a better job of communicating this one then
me.

Venkas observation is valid - that it is a surprise to PSC members (and
board members) that a "Project in Incubation" badge is not available. As
committee chair it is my responsible to communicate with the board, I tend
to focus significant items - like the recent graduation.

For incubation you touch on an important idea - that the incubation process
is there to help the project teams improve. Any advertising or visibility
benefit is a distraction from this goal (and in some cases has proved
harmful).

I also want to focus on the new OSGeo Community project category - it is an
exciting idea that allows OSGeo to support and promote far more software
projects. If we have project teams being disappointed about taking part as
a community project it may serve to discourage involvement and outreach.

The conversation with Helena is also important - the commitment of the
project teams should be acknowledged. One of our foundation goals, to
increase participation, was to do a better job of celebrating
participation. Having project teams being proud of their participation and
commitment is a good thing - so if a badge can help acknowledge this fact
then it may yet serve a purpose.

Finally we have mounting reports of projects not staying on target with
respect osgeo project expectations. This is a responsibility that should be
debated at the board level, leaving board members (myself included) a
pressing matter to attend to - see meeting minuets for action items:
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Face_to_Face_Meeting_Paris_2017#3._OSGeo_project_status

--
Jody Garnett

On 1 August 2017 at 14:17, Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com>
wrote:

> OSGeo Board,
>
> Re: the level of advertising provided to projects in incubation.
>
> I'm concerned that a board member has requested a concept about incubation
> be taken to the Board email list, rather than Board members with an opinion
> offering to join and help the incubation list.
>
> I'm concerned for a number of reasons:
>
> 1. The OSGeo Incubation committee has had problems getting projects to
> move through incubation, which is significantly sucking up volunteer
> resources. This was/is a significant problem threatening the effectiveness
> of incubation. After much debate on the incubation list, it was resolved
> collectively and transparently that reducing the advertising value of
> "being in incubation" would provide encouragement for projects to keep
> moving through.
>
> 2. Board members are welcome to join OSGeo committees are contribute to
> conversations. The time to comment on incubation issues is when it is being
> debated at the committee level. Note, that opinions hold much greater
> weight if they are backed up by the commitment to implement the opinion.
> This is the principle of a Do-ocracy.
>
> 3. If the board wishes to enable their communities, they should trust the
> communities and back the community decisions. Over-riding decisions of a
> community at a higher level is a significant demotivator. It is a
> dis-empowerment of communities and will long term lead to the
> dis-engagement of communities.
>
> 4. The recent conversation thread on the board list has not offered a
> solution as to how to solve the incubation committee problem of projects
> not progressing to completion. Note, a suggestion along the lines of
> "someone else should do ..." doesn't count as a solution.
>
> --
>
> With regards to the level of advertising we give to "OSGeo Projects in
> Incubation", I agree with the Incubation committee's decision (as explained
> by Jody), that we should reduce the value provided by "being in incubation"
> which increases the value of "being incubated".
>
> We should be helping new users find quality incubated projects. You can
> think of it as a quality star rating if you like. Advertising that a
> project is "in incubation" implies a level of quality that has not yet been
> earned.
>
> Warm regards, Cameron
>
> On 2/8/17 2:24 am, Jody Garnett wrote:
>
> On 1 August 2017 at 09:07, Venkatesh Raghavan <
> raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp> wrote:
>
>> On 8/2/2017 12:51 AM, Jody Garnett wrote:
>>
>>> Venka they are visible as community projects on the website and our
>>> promotion.
>>>
>>
>> Jody Community projects and "projects in incubation" were different and
>> are listed
>> as such on our present website. The decision to put them together (as a
>> part of
>> re-branding) was neither informed to or approved by the board.
>>
>> All project in incubation can display on their project leaflet and
>> website they
>> they are striving to graduate as an OSGeo project and undergoing our
>> software vetting process.
>
>
> Joining incubation reflects on the project team and their wishes, their
> commitment as a team to the OSGeo community.
>
> The branding associated with OSGeo Project reflects the result.  The
> branding associated with OSGeo community also reflects a result.
>
>
>
> Venka is there any reason for projects that are in our incubation process
>>> to be considered for more visibility then our community projects?
>>>
>> Jody I never talked about more visibility or less. I said that Project in
>> Incubation
>> must be shown as such with appropriate logo.
>>
>
> And I am asking you to consider why - what are you trying to communicate
> with an Incubation logo and to whom?
>
> aside: "Incubation" logo, "Project in Incubation" would be too long,
>
>
>> Why? Because they are taking steps to graduate as OSGeo projects and
>> because
>> that is how it was before changes were made without information or
>> approval from the board.
>
>
> We can discuss the responsibilities of the incubation committee and of the
> board if you like.
>
>
>> Even the PSC of project under incubation were not informed about this.
>
>
> Venka you are appealing to process - as such we can always do a better job
> communicating it is true:
> a) I have started this email thread here with the board
> b) I have started an email thread on the incubation list to communicate
> with project teams
>
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>> --
>>> Jody Garnett
>>>
>>> On 1 August 2017 at 08:49, Venkatesh Raghavan <
>>> raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp
>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> ....
>>>> On 8/2/2017 12:44 AM, Jody Garnett wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Any change from previous categorization would require the approval
>>>> of the board. I do not recall when such a change was decided and
>>>> how it was approved.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The categorization has not changed, these projects are part of the
>>>> incubation process.
>>>>
>>>> Then let us  continue to use the "OSGeo Incubation logo" and provide
>>>> visibility to our projects in incubation.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Board mailing listBoard at lists.osgeo.orghttps://
>>>> lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Board mailing listBoard at lists.osgeo.orghttps://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board
>
>
> --
> Cameron Shorter
> M +61 419 142 254 <+61%20419%20142%20254>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/attachments/20170801/34aec493/attachment.htm>