[Incubator] FW: Suggested tweaks to incubator docs [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Bruce Bannerman]

Cameron,

I’m not wedded to the specific wording that I added.

I do however feel strongly about the concept.

My concern stems from my experiences in mentoring the Rasdaman project over
several years.

Late in the Incubation process, the project has declared itself to follow a
‘Benevolent Dictatorship’ model, with control of the project exercised by a
small group from essentially one organisation. I currently cannot see how
community members can be elected on merit into decision making / management
roles within the community. I did raise this with InCom around five months
ago [1].

While this issue has still to play itself out within the Rasdaman
Community, there are lessons to be learnt for future projects that go
through the Incubation process.



I’d like to see the issue of 'openness', particularly in project governance
brought out into the open and ***addressed*** early in the incubation
process.



I do understand that it helps for a project to have active support from at
least one organisation (commercial, government, NGO, research etc) for long
term viability. However it is not desirable for a single organisation to
control the directions of the project for the long term.

I also acknowledge that in the short term that the support of a single
organisation may be critical for the project to gain sufficient momentum to
become self-sustaining.

If we can bring this issue out into the open early, then we can work
through it with the project proposers and decide jointly on how to address
it.

This way we can potentially avoid wasting the project community's and
mentor’s time.


Bruce

[1] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/incubator/2013-July/002219.html





From: Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com>

> Date: Tuesday, 7 January 2014 7:42 am
> To: Bruce Bannerman <B.Bannerman at bom.gov.au>, Jody Garnett <
> jody.garnett at gmail.com>
> Cc: Incubator <Incubator at lists.osgeo.org>
> Subject: Re: [Incubator] Suggested tweaks to incubator docs
> [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
>
> On 06/01/14 10:06, Bruce Bannerman wrote:
>
> Cameron,
>
> I made a couple of minor tweaks
>
> Thanks.
>
> and added the following question to the draft Incubator Application
> Questionnaire:
>
> “Please describe any factors that would stop '''any''' suitable member of
> your community from taking a committer, management or decision making role
> within your project community.”
>
>
> Hi Bruce, I'm not comfortable with the above sentence as it stands. In
> particular, rather than asking for a specific FACT which can be backed by a
> metric, it is asking for an OPINION requesting arguments against the
> project. (A supporter of a project is probably not the likely person to
> provide that OPINION.)
>
> I think it would help if you expanded on the reason(s) you think this
> question should be added to incubator docs.
>
>
> --
> Cameron Shorter,
> Software and Data Solutions Manager
> LISAsoft
> Suite 112, Jones Bay Wharf,
> 26 - 32 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009
>
> P +61 2 9009 5000,  W www.lisasoft.com,  F +61 2 9009 5099
>
>
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