Task force
From Strategic Planning
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Colors indicate level of progress:
- Planning | Beginning | In progress | Proposed
To read a description of each task force, click on its name to follow the link.
[edit] Research
One of the primary goals of the task forces is to identify areas that need more research. In this vein, we also need volunteers who can help gather research. If you are interested, or if you'd like to see a list of research we're seeking, sign up at Research needed.
[edit] Other Task Forces
If you're planning to form other task forces that do not fit into the categories above, please list them here. Over time we can organize the emerging priorities to include suggested task forces as well as submitted proposals. Another way to help organize the set of task forces is to start assigning proposals to TFs, once a TF has its own page (a good sign that it has enough support to be formed).
Proposed - Africa
Proposed - Supporting current projects - How should Wikimedia best support current projects such as Wiktionary, Wikibooks, and Wikisource, with tools, interfaces, outreach and partnerships? How can the collected Projects help one another grow and develop into a healthy ecosystem? What can be learned from the successes and failures of smaller Projects? When should be projects be closed, and are there good alternatives to closing them?
Proposed - Adding new types of media - What are opportunities for expanding the types of media and data we cover? This can include code, maps, mathematical models and graphs, chemical and biological models, charts, layered graphics, multi-track music and video, and structured data. How would changing the media we support change what is possible with our current Projects? What new projects would it enable? Does this change the interpretation of the media in Wikimedia?
Proposed - Adding new types of collaborative tools - What sorts of knowledge collaborations require interfaces and tools that aren't currently possible with MediaWiki? What possibilities are there to expand the range of tools developed or considered part of the Wiki in Wikimedia?
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- Why wouldn't this fall under one of the technology task forces? -- Philippe 23:43, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
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Proposed - placeholder for Proposal:Foundations_for_Interactive_Articles Interactive_Strategy_Observations
Proposed - placeholder for Model-View-Controller breakdown: MVC_Strategy_Observations
Proposed - placeholder for authentication: Proposal:Extend_Wikipedia_to_include_external_authentication
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- Why wouldn't this fall under one of the technology task forces? -- Philippe 23:42, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
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Proposed - placeholder for API extensions: Proposal:RPC-based_facebook-esque_API
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- Why wouldn't this fall under one of the technology task forces? -- Philippe 23:42, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
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- Add other task forces here
[edit] About Task Forces
A task force will consist of a group of people who will engage in thoughtful deliberation on a single strategic topic in order to develop a set of recommendations for Wikimedia. An initial set of task forces will launch in October and November, with a mandate to finish their reports by January 2010. This task forces will engage in their deliberation in public (on the wiki), and everyone is invited to join in the discussions.
Each task force will have ~5 core team members roles and be supported by a group of topic-specific or skills-specific advisors. Due to the deep dive analysis nature of the work, it is hoped that task force members will commit a substantial amount of time and effort to this endeavor.
The Wikimedia Foundation has appointed a selection committee that will be responsible for choosing members for the initial task forces from the open call for task force volunteers.
Task force work will happen in an open and collaborative environment on this wiki.
Task forces are arranged below by broad "strategic priorities" that they fall into, which have emerged from research and discussion among the strategic planning team. Priorities cover big general topics, and so may have several task forces associated with them.
[edit] Procedure
[edit] Task Force Mandate
The Task Forces will have the mandate to:
- Convene on their assigned topic
- Consult the guiding paper, fact bases and interview notes already developed in Phase 1 of this strategy project
- Consult with advisors
- Conduct additional primary (interviews, focus groups) and secondary research (reports, statistics) as needed
- Develop preliminary findings
- Formulate tentative conclusions
- Propose recommendations
- Report on the assigned topic
NOTE: Mandates will be finalized by the Selection Committee
In support of these mandates, each Task Force will be given the following:
- Set of strategic questions which should guide their work
- Contact list of topic advisors who would be willing to provide input
- Guiding paper which identifies and provides supporting evidence for strategic priorities
- In depth fact bases on Reach, Content, and Participation, including detailed data analyses
- Tools and templates to support conducting interviews, doing analyses, and creating the final deliverable
[edit] Task Force Selection Process
Task Force participants will be chosen from an open application process at http://volunteer.wikimedia.org. Additionally, the Selection Committee may invite others to participate in the process.
The Task Force Selection Committee along with volunteers will go through a deliberation process on a private Wiki to determine the appropriate task forces. This will be a two step process. The first step will be an initial screen to create a task force pool. The second step will be assignment to a specific Task Force either as a Task Force member or advisor.
In step 1, all applications will be reviewed and scored 1 to X based on a set of criteria. A minimum of 2 reviews for each application will be done and the scores averaged. The goal for step 1 is to identify a potential pool of ~200 applicants for step 2.
In step 2, the Selection Committee and volunteers will draft a top list of applicants per Task Force based on fit criteria. After each Task Force has been drafted, there will be a balancing done across Task Forces to ensure, as best as possible, equal distribution of expertise and skill. Once this private deliberation has been done, Task Force assignments will be posted and assigned members and advisors contacted.
It is anticipated this announcement will take place on or about October 5, 2009.
[edit] Task Force Work
Each Task Force will be expected to do their work on this Wiki. They may also decide to use other tools to coordinate their work. They will be able to work in any mutually agreed upon language. However, final work products will be expected in English (to be translated into other languages).
The Selection Committee will ask one participant on each Task Force to serve as the group's facilitator, who will be responsible for facilitating conversation, keeping the group on track, and making sure the group fulfills its responsibilities. Other potential roles and responsibilities (some will apply to individual task forces, many will not) are described at Task forces/roles.
Task Forces will produce:
- Weekly status reports here on the wiki
- Recommendations of strategic priorities for their specific topic area, with supporting facts and requirements. A first draft of these recommendations will be due on November 20, 2009. The final draft will be due on December 18, 2009.
[edit] Open Community Process
The Task Forces described above will do their work openly on this wiki, subject to the same processes inherent in any open wiki. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to engage constructively in the work of the different Task Forces.
Additionally, while the Task Forces described above will be appointed by a selection team, we see no reason why motivated individuals should not be able to use the same tools and templates to form their own Task Forces. We'd encourage these groups to share their work openly on this wiki as well.
[edit] Emerging strategic priorities and task forces
For a more in-depth description of each emerging strategic priority and associated task forces, please click on the links below:
- Expand reach within large, well-connected populations
- Expand reach within midsize and under-connected populations
- Improve quality content
- Strengthen the community
- Optimize Wikimedia's operations
How do I get involved?At this point in the process, we've collected questions and proposals: now it's time to discuss them and to see how they tie to a greater vision. Below are a few links that might be of interest.
Questions that need answers is a great place to start the discussion.
» Where should Wikimedia go? | Call for proposals
» What are the task forces? | How to participate
» What can I do to help on the wiki?
How does this process work?
